CART' 

CHRISTMAS 


F-HOPKINSON  SMITH 


ISIEXLIBRIS" 


COLONEL  CARTER'S 
CHRISTMAS 


Katy  dropped  her  head  un  liis  shoulder  again. 


COLONEL 
CARTE  R'S 
CHRISTMAS 

BY 

F.  HOPKINSON  SMITH 


CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 
NEW  YORK::  1903 


Copyright,  1903,  by 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


Published,    October, 


•  •    •  ••••!  »*•••••       •  *  • , 

««•«•«,'•,"<.     »,*«       <     ,*  « 


To  my  Readers  : 

IT  will  be  remembered,  doubtless,  that 
the  chronicles  of  my  very  dear  friend, 
Colonel  Carter  (published  some  years  ago), 
make  mention  of  but  one  festival  of  im 
portance, — a  dinner  given  at  Carter  Hall, 
near  Cartersville,  Virginia ;  the  Colonel's 
ancestral  home.  This  dinner,  as  you  al 
ready  know,  was  to  celebrate  two  important 
events, — the  sale  to  the  English  syndicate 
of  the  coal  lands,  the  exclusive  property  of 
the  Colonel's  beloved  aunt,  Miss  Nancy 
Carter ;  and  the  instantaneous  transfer  by 
that  generous  woman  of  all  the  purchase 
money  to  the  Colonel's  slender  bank  ac 
count  :  a  transaction  which,  to  quote  his 
own  words  as  he  gallantly  drank  her  health 
in  acknowledgment  of  the  gift,  "  enabled 
him  to  provide  for  one  of  the  loveliest  of 


248970 


TO   MY   READERS 


her  sex, — she  who  graces  our  boa'd — and 
to  enrich  her  declining  days  not  only  with 
all  the  comforts,  but  with  many  of  the  lux 
uries  she  was  bawn  to  enjoy." 

Several  other  festivals,  however,  did  take 
place :  not  in  the  days  of  the  dear  Colo 
nel's  prosperity,  nor  yet  at  Carter  Hall, 
but  in  his  impecunious  days  in  New  York, 
while  he  was  still  living  in  the  little  house 
on  Bedford  Place  within  a  stone's  throw 
of  the  tall  clock-tower  of  Jefferson  Mar 
ket.  This  house,  you  will  recall,  sat 
back  from  the  street  behind  a  larger 
and  more  modern  dwelling,  its  only  out 
let  to  the  main  thoroughfare  being  through 
a  narrow,  grewsome  tunnel,  lighted  during 
the  day  by  a  half-moon  sawed  out  in  the 
swinging  gate  which  marked  its  street 
entrance,  and  illumined  at  night  by  a 
rusty  lantern  with  dingy  glass  sides. 

All  reference  to  one  of  these  festivals — 
[vi] 


TO   MY   READERS 


a  particular  and  most  important  festival — 
was  omitted,  much  to  my  regret,  from  my 
published  chronicles,  owing  to  the  express 
commands  of  the  Colonel  himself:  com 
mands  issued  not  only  out  of  consideration 
for  the  feelings  of  one  of  the  participants 
— a  man  who  had  been  challenged  by  him 
to  mortal  duel,  and  therefore  his  enemy — 
but  because  on  that  joyous  occasion  this 
same  offender  was  his  guest,  and  so  pro 
tected  by  his  hospitality. 

This  man  was  no  less  a  person  than  the 
eminent  financier,  Mr.  P.  A.  Klutchem, 
of  Klutchem,  Skinham  &  Co.,  who,  you 
will  remember,  had  in  an  open  office  and 
in  the  presence  of  many  mutual  friends, 
denounced  in  unmeasured  terms  the  Car- 
tersville  &  Warrentown  Air  Line  Rail 
road — an  enterprise  to  which  the  Virginian 
had  lent  his  name  and  which,  with  the 
help  of  his  friend  Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  he  was 
[vii] 


TO    MY    READERS 


then  trying  to  finance.  Not  content  with 
thus  slandering  the  road  itself,  characteriz 
ing  it  as  "  beginning  nowhere  and  ending 
nowhere,"  Mr.  Klutchem  had  even  gone 
so  far  as  to  attack  the  good  name  of  its 
securities,  known  as  the  "  Garden  Spot  " 
Bonds,  and  to  state  boldly  that  he  would 
not  "  give  a  yellow  dog  "  for  "  enough  of 
'em  to  paper  a  church."  The  Colonel's 
immediate  resentment  of  this  insult ;  his 
prompt  challenge  to  Mr.  Klutchem  to 
meet  him  in  mortal  duel;  Mr.  Klutchem's 
refusal  and  the  events  which  followed,  are 
too  well  known  to  you  to  need  further 
reference  here. 

The  death  of  this  Mr.  Klutchem  some 
years  ago  decided  me  again  to  seek  the 
Colonel's  permission  to  lay  before  my 
readers  a  succinct  account,  first  of  what  led 
up  to  this  most  important  celebration, 
and  then  of  some  of  the  details  of  the 


TO    MY   READERS 


celebration  itself, — one  of  the  most  de 
lightful,  if  not  the  most  delightful,  of 
all  the  many  delightful  festivals  held  in 
the  Colonel's  cosy  quarters  on  Bedford 
Place. 

My  communication  drew  from  Colonel 
Carter  the  following  characteristic  letter: 

CARTER  HALL,  CARTERSVILLE,  VA., 

MY  DEAR  MAJOR  : 

I  have  your  very  kind  and  welcome  letter, 
and  am  greatly  impressed  by  the  views  you 
hold.  I  was  averse  at  the  time  to  any  refer 
ence  being  made  to  the  matter  to  which  you 
so  kindly  refer,  for  the  reason  that  some  men 
are  often  more  sensitive  over  their  virtues  than 
they  are  over  their  faults. 

Mr.  Klutchem's  death,  of  course,  completely 
alters  the  situation,  and  you  can  make  what  use 
you  please  of  the  incidents.  In  this  decision 
I  have  been  helped  by  my  dear  Fitz,  who  spent 
last  Sunday  with  us  on  his  way  South  to  in- 
[ix] 


TO   MY   READERS 


vestigate  a  financial  matter  of  enormous  mag 
nitude  and  which  only  a  giant  intellect  like  his 
own  can  grasp.  Fitz's  only  fear, — I  quote  his 
exact  words,  my  dear  Major, — is  that  u  you  will 
let  Klutchem  down  easy  instead  of  roasting  him 
alive  as  he  deserves,"  but  then  you  must  not 
mind  Fitz,  for  he  always  uses  intemperate 
language  when  speaking  of  this  gentleman. 

Your  room  is  always  ready  for  you,  and  if 
you  will  run  down  to  us  now,  we  can  smother 
you  in  roses.  Chad  is  over  his  cold,  but  the 
old  man  seems  feeble  at  times.  Aunt  Nancy 
is  out  in  her  coach  paying  some  visits,  and 
doesn't  know  I  am  writing  or  she  would  cer 
tainly  send  you  her  love. 

I  thanked  you,  did  I  not,  for  all  your  kind 
ness  about  the  double  sets  of  harness  ?  But 
I  must  tell  you  again  how  well  the  leaders  look 
in  them.  The  two  sorrels  are  particularly 
splendid.  Go  into  Wood's  some  day  this 
week  and  write  me  what  you  think  of  a  car 
riage  he  has  just  built  for  me, — a  small  affair 

[*] 


TO   MY   READERS 


in  which  Aunt  Nancy  can  drive  to  Warren- 
town,  or  I  can  send  to  the  depot  for  a  friend. 

All  my  heart  to  you,  my  dear  Major.  An 
open  hand  and  a  warm  welcome  is  always 
yours  at  Carter  Hall. 

Your  ever  obedient  servant  and  honored  friend, 
GEORGE  FAIRFAX  CARTER. 

With    the   Colonel's   permission,  then, 

I    am    privileged    to  usher    you   into  his 

cosy  dining-room  in  Bedford  Place,  there 

to  enjoy   the  Virginian's  rare  hospitality. 

F.  HOPKINSON  SMITH. 

September  30,  1903. 


[xi] 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Katy    dropped    her    bead    on    his    shoulder 

again  Frontispiece 

Facing 

"Take  them  upstairs  and  put  them   on   my 

dressirf  table"  18 

The   Colonel  smoothed  out  the  letter  42 

"Misser  Klutchem  and  Misser  Fifzpatrick"  72 

"One  of  your  body-guard,   Aunt  Nancy?"  92 

The  boy  hung  his  head  104 

"  Please,  Pm  Katy  Klutchem,  and  I've  come 

for  the   Christmas  tree'*'1  124 

Each  guest  had  a  candle  alight  154 


COLONEL    CARTER'S 
CHRISTMAS 


I 


am  *  gwme  to  do  wid 
dese  yere  barkers,  Colonel  ?  " 
asked  Chad,  picking  up  his  master's  case 
of  duelling  pistols  from  the  mantel.  "  I 
ain't  fetched  der  moufs  since  I  iled  'em 
up  for  dat  Klutchem  man." 

"  Take  them  upstairs,  Chad,  and  put 
them  away,"  answered  the  Colonel  with 
an  indignant  wave  of  the  hand. 

"  No  chance  o'  pickin'  him,  I  s'pose  ? 
Done  got  away  foJ  sho,  ain't  he  ?  " 

The  Colonel  nodded  his  head  and  kept 


•  'COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

on  looking  into  the  fire.  The  subject  was 
evidently  an  unpleasant  one. 

"  Couldn't  Major  Yancey  an*  de  Jedge 
do  nuffin  ? "  persisted  the  old  servant, 
lifting  one  of  the  pistols  from  the  case  and 
squinting  into  its  polished  barrel. 

"  Everything  that  a  gentleman  could  do 
was  done,  Chad.  You  are  aware  of  that, 
Major?  "  and  he  turned  his  head  towards 
me- — the  Colonel  will  insist  on  calling  me 
cc  Major."  "  But  I  am  not  done  with  him 
yet,  Chad.  The  next  time  I  meet  him  I 
shall  lay  my  cane  over  his  back.  Take 
them  upstairs  and  put  them  on  my  dress- 
in'  table.  We'll  keep  them  for  some 
gentleman  at  home." 

The  Colonel  arose  from  his  chair, 
picked  up  the  decanter,  poured  out  a  glass 
for  me  and  one  for  himself,  replenished 
his  long  clay  pipe  from  a  box  of  tobacco 

[2] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

within  reach  of  his  hand  and  resumed 
his  seat  again.  Mention  of  Mr.  Klutch- 
em's  name  produced  a  form  of  restlessness 
in  my  host  which  took  all  his  self-control 
to  overcome. 

" And,  Chad!"      The  old  darky 

had  now  reached  the  door  opening  into  the 
narrow  hall,  the  case  of  pistols  in  his  hand. 

"  Yes,  sah." 

"  I  think  you  have  a  right  to  know, 
Chad,  why  I  did  not  meet  Mr.  Klutchem 
in  the  open  field." 

Chad  bent  his  head  in  attention.  This 
had  really  been  the  one  thing  of  all  others 
about  which  this  invaluable  servant  had 
been  most  disturbed.  Before  this  it  had 
been  a  word,  a  blow,  and  an  exchange  of 
shots  at  daybreak  in  all  the  Colonel's  af 
fairs — all  that  Chad  had  attended — and  yet 
a  week  or  more  had  now  elapsed  since 

[3] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

this  worthy  darky  had  moulded  some 
extra  bullets  for  these  same  dogs  "  wid 
der  moufs  open,"  and  until  to-night  the 
case  had  never  even  left  its  place  on  the 
mantel. 

"  I  was  disposed,  Chad,"  the  Colonel 
continued,  "  to  overlook  Mr.  Klutchem's 
gross  insult  after  a  talk  I  had  with  Mr. 
Fitzpatrick,  and  I  went  all  the  way  to  the 
scoundrel's  house  to  tell  him  so.  I  found 
him  in  his  chair  suffe'in'  from  an  attack 
of  gout.  I  had  my  caa'idge  outside,  and 
offe'ed  in  the  most  co'teous  way  to  con 
duct  him  to  it  and  drive  him  to  my  office, 
where  a  number  of  his  friends  and  mine 
were  assembled  in  order  that  the  apology 
I  proposed  might  be  as  impressive  as  the 
challenge  I  sent.  He  refused,  Chad,  in 
the  most  insolent  manner,  and  I  left  him 
with  the  remark  that  I  should  lay  my 
[4] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

cane  over  his  shoulders  whenever  I  met 
him  ;  and  I  shall" 

"  Well,  befo'  Gawd,  I  knowed  sumpin' 
had  been  gwine  on  pretty  hot,  for  I  never 
seed  you  so  b'ilin'  as  when  you  come 
home,  Colonel,"  replied  the  old  servant, 
bowing  low  at  the  mark  of  his  master's 
confidence.  "  I  spec',  though,  I'd  better 
put  a  couple  o'  corks  in  der  moufs  so  we 
kin  hab  'em  ready  if  anythin'  comes  out 
o'  dis  yere  caanin'  business.  I've  seen 
'em  put  away  befo'  in  my  time,"  he  added 
in  a  louder  voice,  looking  towards  me  as  if 
to  include  me  in  his  declaration  ;  "  but 
they  allus  hab  to  come  for  'em  agin,  when 
dey  get  to  caanin'  one  another."  And  he 
patted  the  box  meaningly  and  left  the 
room. 

The  Colonel  again  turned  to  me. 

"  I   have  vehy  few  secrets  from  Chad, 

[5] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Major,  and  none  of  this  kind.  By  the 
way,  I  suppose  that  yaller  dog  has  gotten 
over  his  gout  by  this  time." 

"  Don't  call  him  names,  Colonel.  He 
will  write  his  own  for  a  million  if  he  goes 
on.  I  was  in  Fitz's  office  this  morning,  and 
I  hear  that  Klutchem  and  his  Boston 
crowd  have  got  about  every  share  of  Con 
solidated  Smelting  issued,  and  the  boys  are 
climbing  for  it.  Fitz  told  me  it  went  up 
fifteen  points  in  an  hour.  By  the  by, 
Fitz  is  coming  up  to-night." 

"  I  am  not  surprised,  suh, — I  am  not 
surprised  at  anything  these  Yankees  do. 
A  man  who  could  not  appreciate  a  gentle 
man's  feelin's  placed  as  I  was  would  never 
feel  for  a  creditor,  suh.  He  thinks  of 
nothin'  but  money  and  what  it  buys  him, 
and  it  buys  him  nothin'  but  vulgaarity, 
suh." 

[6] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

The  Colonel  was  in  the  saddle  now; 
I  never  interrupt  him  in  one  of  these 
moods.  He  had  risen  from  his  chair 
and  was  standing  on  the  mat  before  the 
fire  in  his  favorite  attitude,  thumbs  in  his 
armholes,  his  threadbare,  well  -  brushed 
coat  thrown  wide. 

"  They've  about  ruined  our  country, 
suh,  these  money-grubbers.  I  saw  the 
workin'  of  one  of  their  damnable  schemes 
only  a  year  or  so  ago,  in  my  own  town 
of  Caartersville.  Some  Nawthern  men 
came  down  there,  suh,  and  started  a 
Bank.  Their  plan  was  to  start  haalf  a 
dozen  mo'  of  them  over  the  County,  and 
so  they  called  this  one  the  Fust  National. 
They  never  started  a  second,  suh.  Our 
people  wouldn't  permit  it,  and  befo'  I  get 
through  you'll  find  out  why.  They  be 
gan  by  hirin'  a  buildin'  and  movin'  in  an 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

iron   safe    about    as    big    as    a    hen-coop. 
Then  they  sent  out  a  circular  addressed  to 
our  prominent  citizens  which  was  a  model 
of  style,  and  couched  in  the  most  co'teous 
terms,  but  which,  suh,   was   nothin'  mo' 
than  a  trap.      I  got  one  and  I  can  speak 
by  the  book.      It  began    by    say  in*  that 
eve'y  accommodation  would  be  granted  to 
its  customers,  and  ended  by  offerin'  money 
at  the  lowest  rates    of  interest   possible. 
This    occurred,   suh,   at  a  time  of  great 
financial  depression  with  us,  following  as 
it  did  the  close  of  hostilities,  and  their  offer 
was  gladly  accepted.     It  was  the  fust  in 
dication  any  of  us  had  seen  on  the  part  of 
any  Yankee   to   bridge    over  the    bloody 
chasm,  and  we  took  them  at  their  word. 
We  put  in  what  money  we  had,  and  several 
members  of  our  oldest  families,  in  order 
to  give  chaaracter  to   the  enterprise,  had 
[8] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

their  personal  notes  discounted  and  used 
the  money  they  got  for  them  for  various 
private  purposes — signin'  as  a  gaarantee 
of  their  good  faith  whatever  papers  the 
bank  people  requi'ed  of  them.  Now, 
suh,  what  do  you  think  happened — not 
to  me,  for  I  was  not  in  need  of  financial 
assistance  at  the  time,  Aunt  Nancy  havin* 
come  into  possession  of  some  funds  of  her 
own  in  Baltimo', — but  to  one  of  my  per 
sonal  friends,  Colonel  Powhatan  Tabb,  a 
near  neighbor  of  mine  and  a  gentleman  of 
the  highest  standin'  ?  Because,  suh" — here 
the  Colonel  spoke  with  great  deliberation 
— "  his  notes  had  not  been  paid  on  the 
vehy  day  and  hour — a  thing  which  would 
have  greatly  inconvenienced  him — Colonel 
Tabb  found  a  sheriff  in  charge  of  his 
home  one  mornin'  and  a  red  flag  hangin* 
from  his  po'ch.  Of  co'se,  suh,  he  de- 

[9] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

manded  an  explanation  of  the  outrage,  and 
some  words  followed  of  a  blasphemous 
nature  which  I  shall  not  repeat.  I  shall 
never  forget  my  feelin's,  suh,  as  I  stood 
by  and  witnessed  that  outrage.  Old  fam 
ily  plate  that  had  been  in  the  Tabb  family 
for  mo'  than  a  century  was  knocked  down 
to  anybody  who  would  buy ;  and  befo* 
night,  suh,  my  friend  was  stripped  of 
about  everything  he  owned  in  the  world. 
Nothin'  escaped,  suh,  not  even  the  po'- 
traits  of  his  ancestors  !  " 

"  What  became  of  the  bank,  Colonel  ?  " 
I  asked  in  as  serious  a  tone  as  I  could 
command. 

"  What  became  of  it?  What  could  be 
come  of  it,  Major?  Our  people  were 
aroused,  suh,  and  took  the  law  into  their 
own  hands,  and  the  last  I  saw  of  it,  suh, 
the  hen-coop  of  a  safe  was  standin'  in  the 
[10] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

midst  of  a  heap  of  smokin'  ashes.  I 
heard  that  the  Bank  people  broke  it  open 
with  a  sledge-hammer  when  it  cooled  off, 
put  the  money  they  had  stolen  from  our 
people  in  a  black  caarpet-bag,  and  escaped. 
Such  piracies,  suh,  are  not  only  cruel  but 
vulgaar.  Mr.  Klutchem's  rob'ries  are 
quite  in  line  with  these  men.  He  takes 
you  by  the  throat  in  another  way,  but  he 
strangles  you  all  the  same." 

The  Colonel  stroked  his  goatee  in  a 
meditative  way,  reached  over  my  chair, 
picked  up  his  half-emptied  wine-glass, 
sipped  its  contents  absent-mindedly  and 
said  in  an  apologetic  tone: 

"  Forgive  me,  Major,  for  mentionin' 
Mr.  Klutchem's  name,  I  have  no  right  to 
speak  of  him  in  this  way  behind  his  back. 
I  promise  you,  suh,  that  it  will  not  occur 
again." 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

As  the  Colonel  ceased  I  caught  sight 
of  Fitz's  round,  good-natured  face,  ruddy 
with  the  cold  of  the  snowy  December 
night,  his  shoe-button  eyes  sparkling  be 
hind  his  big-bowed  spectacles  peering 
around  the  edge  of  the  open  door.  Chad 
had  heard  his  well-known  brisk  tread  as 
he  mounted  the  steps  and  had  let  him  in 
before  he  could  knock. 

"  Who  are  you  going  to  kill  now  ?  "  we 
heard  Fitz  ask  the  old  darky. 

"  Dey  was  iled  up  for  dat  Klutchem 
man,  but  he  done  slid,  the  Colonel  says/' 

"  Klutchem  !  Klutchem  ! — nothing  but 
Klutchem.  I  don't  seem  to  get  rid  of  him 
down-town  or  up,"  Fitz  blurted  out  as 
he  entered  the  room. 

The  Colonel  had  bounded  forward  at 
the  first  sound  of  Fitz's  voice,  and  had  him 
now  by  both  hands.  In  another  minute 

[12] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

he  had  slipped  off  Fitz's  wet  overcoat  and 
was  forcing  him  into  a  chair  beside  my  own, 
calling  to  Chad  in  the  meanwhile  to  run 
for  hot  water  as  quick  as  his  legs  could 
carry  him,  as  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  was  frozen 
stiff  and  must  have  a  hot  toddy  before 
he  could  draw  another  breath. 

"  Keep  still,  Fitz,  don't  move.  Til  be 
back  in  a  minute,"  the  Colonel  cried,  and 
off  he  went  to  the  sideboard  for  the  in 
gredients  —  a  decanter  of  whiskey,  the 
sugar-bowl,  and  a  nutmeg-grater,  all  of 
which  he  placed  on  the  mantel  over  Fitz's 
head. 

The  toddy  made  with  the  help  of  Chad's 
hot  water,  the  Colonel  moved  his  chair  so 
that  as  he  talked  he  could  get  his  hand  on 
Fitz's  knee  and  said : 

"  What  were  you  doing  out  in  the  cold 
hall  talkin'  to  Chad,  anyhow,  you  dear  boy, 

[13] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

with  this  fire  burnin'  and  my  hands  itchin* 
for  you  ?  " 

"  Dodging  Chad's  guns.  Got  that  same 
old  arsenal  with  him,  I  see,"  Fitz  answered, 
edging  his  chair  nearer  the  fire  and  stretch 
ing  out  his  hands  to  the  blaze.  <c  Pity  you 
didn't  fill  Klutchem  full  of  lead  when  you 
had  the  chance,  Colonel.  It  would  have 
saved  some  of  us  a  lot  of  trouble.  He's 
got  the  Street  by  the  neck  and  is  shaking 
the  life  out  of  it." 

<c  How  was  it  when  you  left,  Fitz  ? "  I 
asked  in  an  undertone. 

"  Looked  pretty  ugly.  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  the  stock  opened  at  60  in  the 
morning." 

"  Have  you  covered  your  shorts  yet  ?  " 
I  continued  in  a  whisper. 

"Not  yet."  Here  Fitz  leaned  over 
and  said  to  me  behind  his  hand :  "  Not 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

a  word  of  all  this  now  to  the  Colonel. 
Only  worry  him,  and  he  can't  do  any 
good." 

"By  the  by,  Colonel" —here  Fitz 
straightened  up,  and  with  a  tone  in  his 
voice  as  if  what  he  really  wanted  to  talk 
about  was  now  on  the  end  of  his  tongue 
said  :  "  is  Aunt  Nancy  coming  for  Christ 
mas  ?  Chad  thinks  she  is." 

The  Colonel,  who  had  noticed  the  con 
fidential  aside,  did  not  reply  for  a  moment. 
Then  he  remarked,  with  a  light  trace  of 
impatience  in  his  voice  : 

"If  you  have  unloaded  all  the  caares 
of  yo'  office,  Fitz,  I  will  answer  yo'  ques 
tion,  but  I  cannot  soil  the  dear  lady's  name 
by  bringin'  it  into  any  conversation  in  which 
that  man  has  a  part.  There  are  some 
subjects  no  gentleman  should  discuss  ;  Mr. 
Klutchem's  affairs  is  one  of  them.  I  have 

[15] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

already  expressed  my  opinion  of  him  both 
to  the  Major  and  to  Chad  and  I  have  prom 
ised  them  both  that  that  scoundrel's  name 
shall  never  again  pass  my  lips.  Oblige 
me  by  never  mentionin'  it.  Forgive  me, 
Fitz.  There's  my  hand.  You  know  I 
love  you  too  well  for  you  to  think  that  I 
say  this  in  anythin'  but  kindness.  Let  me 
put  a  little  mo*  whiskey  in  that  toddy, 
Fitz — it  lacks  color.  So — that's  better. 
Aunt  Nancy  did  you  ask  about,  my  dear 
Fitz  ? — of  co'se,  she's  comin'.  And,  Ma 
jor, — did  I  tell  you" — here  the  Colonel 
turned  to  me — "  that  she's  goin'  to  bring 
a  servant  with  her  this  time  ?  The  dear 
woman  is  gettin'  too  old  to  travel  alone, 
and  since  Chad  has  been  with  me  she  has 
felt  the  need  of  some  one  to  wait  upon 
her.  She  has  passed  some  weeks  or  mo* 
in  Richmond,  she  writes,  and  has  greatly 
[16] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

enjoyed  the  change.  Make  no  engagement 
for  Christmas,  either  one  of  you.  That 
loveliest  of  women,  suh,  will  grace  our 
boa'd,  and  it  is  her  special  wish  that  both 
of  you  be  present." 

Fitz  crushed  the  sugar  in  his  glass, 
remarked  that  there  was  not  the  slightest 
doubt  of  his  being  present,  winked  at  me 
appreciatingly  over  the  edge  of  the  tum 
bler,  rubbed  his  paunch  slowly  with  one 
hand,  and  with  eyes  upcast  took  another 
sip  of  the  mixture. 

The  Virginian  to  Fitz  was  a  never-end 
ing  well  of  pleasure.  The  Colonel's  gener 
osity,  his  almost  Quixotic  sense  of  honor, 
his  loyalty  to  his  friends,  his  tenderness 
over  Chad  and  his  reverence  and  love  for 
that  dear  Aunt — who  had  furnished  him 
really  with  all  the  ready  money  he  had 
spent  for  years,  and  who  was  at  the  mo- 

[17] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

ment  caring  for  the  old  place  at  Carters- 
ville  while  the  Colonel  was  in  New  York 
endeavoring  to  float,  through  Fitz,  the 
bonds  of  the  Cartersville  &  Warrentown 
Railroad — excited  not  only  Fitz's  admira 
tion  and  love,  but  afforded  the  broker  the 
pleasantest  of  contrasts  to  the  life  he  led 
in  the  Street,  a  contrast  so  delightful  that 
Fitz  seldom  missed  at  least  an  evening's 
salutation  with  him.  That  not  a  shovel 
of  earth  had  yet  been  dug  on  the  line  of 
the  Colonel's  Railroad,  and  that  the  whole 
enterprise  was  one  of  those  schemes  well- 
nigh  impossible  to  finance,  made  no  dif 
ference  to  Fitz.  He  never  lost  an  oppor 
tunity  to  work  off  the  securities  whenever 
there  was  the  slightest  opening.  The 
bonds,  of  course,  had  not  been  issued ; 
they  had  never  been  printed,  in  fact. 
These  details  would  come  later, — when- 
[18] 


Take  them  upstairs  and  put  them  on  my  dressin'   table 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

ever  the  capitalist  or  syndicate  should  begin 
to  look  into  the  enterprise  in  earnest. 

Up  to  the  moment  when  this  whirl 
had  caught  the  Street — an  event  which 
Klutchem  acting  for  his  friends  had  helped 
— Fitz  had  never  quite  given  up  the  hope 
that  somehow,  or  in  some  way,  or  by  some 
hook  or  crook,  some  deluded  capitalist, 
with  more  money  than  brains,  would  lose 
both  by  purchasing  these  same  "  Garden 
Spots  "  as  the  securities  of  the  Colonel's 
proposed  road  were  familiarly  called  in  the 
Street.  That  but  one  single  inquiry  had 
thus  far  ever  been  made,  and  that  no  one 
of  his  or  anybody  else's  customers  had 
ever  given  them  more  than  a  hasty  dis 
missal,  had  never  discouraged  Fitz. 

As  for  the  Colonel  he  was  even  more 
sanguine.  The  dawn  of  success  was  al 
ready  breaking  through  the  darkness  and 

[19] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

his  hopes  would  soon  be  realized.  Hour 
after  hour  he  would  sit  by  his  fire,  build 
ing  fairy  castles  in  its  cheery  coals.  Al 
most  every  night  there  was  a  new  picture. 
In  each  the  big  bridge  over  the  Tench 
was  already  built,  bearing  his  double  track 
road  to  Warrentown  and  the  sea — he  could 
see  every  span  and  pier  of  it ;  the  town  of 
Fairfax,  named  after  his  ancestors,  was 
crowning  the  plateau ;  the  round-house 
for  his  locomotives  was  almost  complete, 
the  wharves  and  landing  docks  finished. 
And  in  all  of  these  pictures,  warm  and 
glowing,  there  was  one  which  his  soul 
coveted  above  all  others — the  return  of 
the  proud  days  of  the  old  Estate :  the 
barns  and  outbuildings  repaired ;  the 
fences  in  order ;  Carter  Hall  restored  to 
its  former  grandeur,  and  dear  Aunt  Nancy 
once  more  in  her  high  spring  coach,  with 

[20] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Chad  standing  by  to  take  her  shawl  and 
wraps.  These  things,  and  many  others  as 
rose  colored  and  inspiring,  the  Colonel 
saw  night  after  night  in  the  glow  and  flash 
and  sparkle  of  his  wood  fire. 

No  wonder  then  that  Fitz  kept  hoping 
against  hope  ;  deluding  him  with  promises 
and  keeping  up  his  spirits  with  any  fairy 
tale  his  conscience  would  permit  his  tell 
ing  or  his  ingenuity  contrive. 

To-night,  however,  Fitz's  nerve  seemed 
to  have  failed  him.  To  the  Colonel's 
direct  inquiry  regarding  the  slight  nibble 
of  an  English  syndicate — (that  syndicate 
which  some  months  later  made  the  Colo 
nel's  fortune  and  with  which  Fitz  had 
buoyed  up  his  hopes)  the  broker  had  only 
an  evasive  answer.  The  Colonel  noticed 
the  altered  tone  and  thought  he  had  di 
vined  the  cause. 

[21] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S   CHRISTMAS 

"  You  are  tired  out,  Fitz.  Isn't  it  so  ? 
I  don't  wonder  when  I  think  of  the  vast 
commercial  problems  you  are  solvin'  every 
day.  Go  upstairs,  my  dear  boy,  and  get 
into  my  bed  for  the  night.  I  won't  have 
you  go  home.  It's  too  cold  for  you  to 
go  out  and  the  snow  is  driftin'  badly.  I'll 
take  the  sofa  here." 

"  No,  Colonel,  I  think  I'll  toddle  along 
home.  I  am  tired,  I  guess.  I  ought  to  be; 
I've  had  nothing  but  hard  knocks  all  day." 

"  Then  you  shan't  leave  my  house,  suh  ; 
I  won't  permit  it.  Chad,  go  upstairs 
and  get  Mr.  Fitzpatrick's  chamber  ready 
for  the  night,  and  Chad " 

Fitz  laughed.  "  And  have  you  sleep 
on  that  haircloth  sofa,  Colonel?"  and  he 
pointed  to  the  sagging  lounge. 

"  Why  not  ? — I've  done  it  befo'.  Come, 
I  insist." 

[22] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Fitz  was  on  his  feet  now  and  with 
Chad's  assistance  was  struggling  into  his 
overcoat,  which  that  attentive  darky  had 
hung  over  a  chairback  that  it  might  dry 
the  easier. 

"  Fm  going  home.  Colonel,  and  to 
bed,"  Fitz  said  in  a  positive  tone.  "  I 
shouldn't  sleep  a  wink  if  I  knew  you  were 
thrashing  around  on  that  shake-down,  and 
you  wouldn't  either.  Good  night ;  "  and 
holding  out  his  hand  to  his  host,  he  gave 
me  a  tap  on  my  shoulder  as  he  passed 
my  chair  and  left  the  room,  followed  by 
the  Colonel. 

It  was  only  when  the  Colonel  had 
found  Fitz's  rubbers  himself  and  had 
turned  up  the  collar  of  his  coat  and  had 
made  it  snug  around  his  throat  to  keep 
out  the  snow,  and  had  patted  him  three 
times  on  the  shoulder — he  only  showed 

[23] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

that  sort  of  affection  to  Fitz — and  had 
held  the  door  open  until  both  Fitz  and 
Chad  were  lost  in  the  gloom  of  the  tun 
nel,  the  wind  having  extinguished  the 
lantern,  that  the  Colonel  again  resumed 
his  seat  by  the  fire. 

"  I  must  say  I'm  worried  about  Fitz, 
Major.  He  don't  look  right  and  he  don't 
act  right " — he  sighed  as  he  picked  up  his 
pipe  and  sank  into  his  arm-chair  until  his 
head  rested  on  its  back.  "  I'm  going  to 
have  him  see  a  doctor.  That's  what  I'm 
going  to  do,  and  at  once.  Do  you  know 
of  a  good  doctor,  Major  ?  " 

"  Medicine  won't  help  him,  Colonel," 
I  answered.  I  knew  the  dear  old  fellow 
would  not  sleep  a  wink  even  in  his  own 
bed  if  the  idea  got  into  his  head  that  Fitz 
was  ill. 

"  What  will  ?  " 

[24] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  Money." 

The  Colonel  looked  at  me  in  astonish 
ment. 

"  What  kind  of  money  ?  " 

"  Any  kind  that's  worth  a  hundred 
cents  on  the  dollar." 

"Why,  what  nonsense,  Major,  I'd 
take  Fitz's  check  for  a  million." 

"  Klutchem  won't." 

"What's  the  scoundrel  got  to  do  with 
it?" 

"Everything,  unfortunately.  Fitz  is 
short  of  10,000  shares  of  Consolidated 
Smelting,  and  Klutchem  and  his  crowd 
have  got  about  every  share  of  It  locked 
up  in  their  safes.  Some  of  Fitz's  cus 
tomers  have  gone  back  on  h'n  ,  and  he's 
got  to  make  the  fight  alone.  If  smelt 
ing  goes  up  another  fifteen  points  to-mor 
row  Fitz  goes  with  it.  It's  not  a  doctor 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

he  wants,  it's  a  banker.     Cash,  not  pills, 
is  what  will  pull  Fitz  through." 

Had  a  bomb  been  exploded  on  the 
hearth  at  his  feet  the  Colonel  could  not 
have  been  more  astonished.  He  sat  star 
ing  into  my  eyes  as  I  unfolded  the  story, 
his  face  changing  with  every  disclosure ; 
horror  at  the  situation,  anger  at  the  man 
who  had  caused  it,  and  finally — and  this 
dominated  all  the  others — profound  sym 
pathy  for  the  friend  he  loved.  He  knew 
something  of  the  tightening  of  the  grasp 
of  a  man  like  Klutchem  and  he  did  not 
underestimate  the  gravity  of  the  situation. 
What  Consolidated  Smelting  represented, 
or  what  place  it  held  in  the  market  were 
unknown  quantities  to  the  Colonel.  What 
he  really  saw  was  the  red  flag  of  the  auc 
tioneer  floating  over  the  front  porch  of 
that  friend  in  Virginia  whom  the  Bank  had 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

ruined,  and  the  family  silver  and  old  por 
traits  lying  in  the  carts  that  were  to  take 
them  away  forever.  It  was  part  of  the 
damnable  system  of  Northern  finance  and 
now  Fitzpatrick  was  to  suffer  a  similar  in 
justice. 

"  Fitz  in  Klutchem's  power  !  My  God, 
suh  ! "  he  burst  out  at  last,  "  you  don't 
tell  me  so  !  And  Fitz  never  told  me  a 
word  about  it.  My  po'  Fitz !  My  po* 
Fitz !  "  he  added  slowly  with  quivering 
lips.  "  Are  you  quite  sure,  Major,  that 
the  situation  is  as  serious  as  you  state 
it  ? " 

"  Quite  sure.  He  told  me  so  himself. 
He  wanted  me  to  keep  still  about  it,  but 
I  didn't  want  you  to  think  he  was  ill." 

"You  did  right,  Major.  I  should 
never  have  forgiven  you  if  you  had 
robbed  me  of  the  opportunity  of  helpin' 

[27] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

him.  It's  horrible  ;  it's  damnable.  Such 
men  as  Klutchem,  suh,  ought  to  be  drawn 
and  quartered." 

For  an  instant  the  Colonel  leaned  for 
ward,  his  elbows  on  his  knees,  and  looked 
steadily  into  the  fire  ;  then  he  said  slowly 
with  a  voice  full  of  sympathy,  and  in  a 
tone  as  if  he  had  at  last  made  up  his 
mind  : 

"No,  I  won't  disturb  the  dear  fellow 
to-night.  He  needs  all  the  sleep  he  can 
get." 

The  Colonel  was  still  in  his  chair  gaz 
ing  into  the  fire  when  I  left.  His  pipe  was 
out ;  his  glass  untasted  ;  his  chin  buried 
in  his  collar. 

"  My  po'  Fitz  !  "  was  all  he  said  as  he 
lifted    his    hand    and    pressed    my    own. 
"  Good  night,  Major." 
[28] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

When  I  had  reached  the  hall  door  he 
roused  himself,  called  me  back  and  said 
slowly  and  with  the  deepest  emotion  : 

"  Major,  I  shall  help  Fitz  through  this 
in  the  mornin'  if  it  takes  eve'y  dollar 
I've  got  in  the  world.  Stop  for  me  as 
you  go  down  town  and  we  will  call  at 
his  office  together." 


[29] 


II 

FITZ  had  not  yet  arrived  when  the 
Colonel  in  his  eagerness  stepped  in 
front  of  me,  and  peered  through  the  hole 
in  the  glass  partition  which  divided  Fitz's 
inner  and  outer  offices. 

"  Come  inside,  Colonel,  and  wait — ex 
pect  him  after  a  while,"  was  the  reply  from 
one  of  the  clerks, — the  first  arrival. 

But  the  Colonel  was  too  restless  to  sit 
down,  and  too  absorbed  even  to  thank  the 
young  man  for  his  courtesy  or  to  accept 
his  invitation.  He  continued  pacing  up 
and  down  the  outer  office,  stopping  now 
and  then  to  note  the  heap  of  white  ribbons 
tangled  up  in  a  wicker  basket — records  of 
the  disasters  and  triumphs  of  the  day  be- 
[30] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

fore, — or  to  gaze  silently  at  the  large  map 
that  hung  over  the  steam-heater,  or  to 
study  in  an  aimless  way  the  stock  lists 
skewered  to  the  wall. 

He  had  risen  earlier  than  usual  and  had 
dressed  himself  with  the  greatest  care  and 
with  every  detail  perfect.  His  shoes  with 
their  patches,  one  on  each  toe,  were  pol 
ished  to  more  than  Chad's  customary 
brilliancy ;  his  grey  hair  was  brushed 
straight  back  from  his  forehead,  its  ends 
overlapping  the  high  collar  behind;  his 
goatee  was  twisted  to  a  fish-hook  point 
and  curled  outward  from  his  shirt-front ; 
his  moustache  was  smooth  and  carefully 
trimmed. 

The  coat, — it  was  the  same  old  double- 
breasted  coat,  of  many  repairs — was  but 
toned  tight  over  his  chest  giving  his  slen 
der  figure  that  military  air  which  always 

[31] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

distinguished  the  Virginian  when  some 
matter  of  importance,  some  matter  involv 
ing  personal  defence  or  offence,  had  to 
be  settled.  In  one  hand  he  carried  his 
heavy  cane  with  its  silver  top,  the  other 
held  his  well-brushed  hat. 

"  What  has  kept  Fitz  ?  "  he  asked  with 
some  anxiety. 

"  Nothing,  Colonel.  Board  doesn't 
open  till  ten  o'clock.  He'll  be  along 
presently,"  I  answered. 

Half  an  hour  passed  and  still  no  Fitz. 
By  this  time  I,  too,  had  begun  to  feel 
nervous.  This  was  a  day  of  all  others 
for  a  man  in  Fitz's  position  to  be  on 
hand  early. 

I  interviewed  the  clerk  privately. 

"  Stopped  at  the  Bank,"  he  said  in  an 
undertone.  "  He  took  some  cats  and 
dogs  up  with  him  last  night  and  is  trying 

[32] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

to  get  a  loan.  Going  to  rain  down  here 
to-day,  I  guess,  and  somebody'll  get  wet. 
Curb  market  is  steady,  but  you  can't  tell 
anything  till  the  Board  opens." 

At  ten  minutes  before  ten  by  the  clock 
on  the  wall  Fitz  burst  into  the  office, 
pulled  a  package  from  inside  his  coat, 
thrust  it  through  the  hole  in  the  glass 
partition,  whispered  something  to  a  second 
clerk  who  had  just  come  in,  and  who  at 
Fitz's  command  grabbed  up  his  hat,  and 
with  three  plunges  was  through  the  door 
way  and  racing  down  the  street.  Then 
Fitz  turned  and  saw  us. 

"Why,  you  dear  Colonel,  where  the 
devil  did  you  come  from  ?  " 

The  Colonel  did  not  answer.  He  had 
noticed  Fitz's  concentrated,  business-like 
manner,  so  different  from  his  bearing  of 
the  night  before,  and  had  caught  the  anx- 

[33] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 


ious  expression  on  the  clerk's  face  as  he 
bounded  past  him  on  his  way  to  the  street. 
It  was  evident  that  the  situation  was  grave 
and  the  crisis  imminent.  The  Colonel  rose 
from  his  seat  and  held  out  his  hand,  his 
manner  one  of  the  utmost  solemnity. 

"  I  have  heard  all  about  it,  Fitz.  I  am 
here  to  stand  by  you.  Let  us  go  inside 
where  we  can  discuss  the  situation  quietly." 

Fitz  looked  at  the  clock — it  was  a  busy 
day  for  him — shook  the  Colonel's  hand  in 
an  equally  impressive  manner,  glanced  in 
quiringly  at  me  over  his  shoulder,  and  we 
all  three  entered  the  private  office  and  shut 
the  door :  he  would  give  us  ten  minutes 
at  all  events.  What  really  perplexed 
Fitz  at  the  moment  was  the  hour  of 
the  Colonel's  visit  and  his  reference  to 
the  "  stand-by."  These  were  mysteries 
which  the  broker  failed  to  penetrate. 
[34] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

The  Colonel  tilted  his  silver-topped 
cane  against  Fitz's  desk,  put  his  hat  on  a 
pile  of  papers,  drew  his  chair  close  and  laid 
his  hand  impressively  on  Fitz's  arm.  He 
had  the  air  of  a  learned  counsellor  con 
sulting  with  a  client. 

"  You  are  too  busy,  Fitz,  to  go  into  the 
details,  and  my  mind  is  too  much  occu 
pied  to  listen  to  them,  but  just  give  me  an 
outline  of  the  situation  so  that  I  can  act 
with  the  main  facts  befo'  me." 

Fitz  looked  at  me  inquiringly ;  received 
my  helpless  shrug  as  throwing  but  little 
light  on  the  matter,  and  as  was  his  inva 
riable  custom,  fell  instantly  into  the  Colo 
nel's  mood,  answering  him  precisely  as  he 
would  have  done  a  brother  broker  in  a 
similar  case. 

"It  is  what  we  call  a  c  squeeze/  Colonel. 
I'm  through  for  the  day,  I  hope,  for  my 

[35] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

bank  has  come  to  my  rescue.  My  clerk 
has  just  carried  up  a  lot  of  stuff  I  managed 
to  borrow.  But  you  can't  tell  what  to 
morrow  will  bring.  Looks  to  me  as  if 
everything  was  going  to  Bally-hack,  and 
yet  there  are  some  things  in  the  air  that 
may  change  it  over  night/' 

"Am  I  right  when  I  say  that  Mr. 
Klutchem  is  leadin'  the  attack?  And  on 
you  ?  " 

"  That's  just  what  he  is  doing — all  he 
knows  how." 

"  And  that  any  relief  must  be  with  his 
consent  ? " 

"  Absolutely,  for,  strange  to  say,  some 
of  my  defaulting  customers  have  been 
operating  in  his  office." 

The  Colonel  mused  for  some  time, 
twisting  the  fish-hook  end  of  his  goatee 
till  it  looked  like  a  weapon  of  offence. 

[36] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  Is  he  in  town  ? " 

"  He  was  yesterday  afternoon." 

The  Colonel  rose  from  his  chair  with  a 
determined  air  and  pulled  his  coat  sleeves 
over  his  cuffs. 

"  I'll  call  upon  him  at  once." 

Fitz's  expression  changed.  Once  start 
the  dear  Colonel  on  a  mission  of  this  kind 
and  there  was  no  telling  what  complica 
tions  might  ensue. 

"  He  won't  see  you." 

"  I  have  thought  of  that,  Fitz.  I  do 
not  forget  that  I  informed  him  I  would  lay 
my  cane  over  his  back  the  next  time  we 
met,  but  that  mattuh  can  wait.  This  con 
cerns  the  welfare  of  my  dea'est  friend  and 
takes  precedence  of  all  personal  feelin's." 

"  But,  Colonel,  he  would  only  show  you 
the  door.  He  don't  want  talk.  He  wants 
something  solid  as  a  margin.  I've  sent  it 
[37] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

to  him  right  along  for  their  account,  and 
he'll  get  what's  coming  to  him  to-day,  but 
talk  won't  do  any  good." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  somethin'  solid, 
Fitz?" 

"  Gilt-edged  collateral, — 5.20*3  or  some 
thing  as  good." 

"  I  presume  any  absolutely  safe  security 
would  answer  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  of  what  amount  ?  " 

"  Oh,  perhaps  fifty  thousand, — perhaps 
a  hundred.  I'll  know  to-morrow." 

The  Colonel  communed  with  himself 
for  a  moment,  made  a  computation  with 
his  lips  assisted  by  his  fingers,  and  said 
with  great  dignity : 

"You  haven't  had  my  'Garden  Spots' 
bonds  printed  yet,  have  you  ?  " 

"  No." 

[38] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  Nothin'  lookin'  to'ards  it  ?  " 

"Yes,  certainly,  but  nothing  definite. 
I've  got  the  proposition  I  told  you  about 
from  the  Engraving  Company.  Here  it 
is."  And  Fitz  pulled  out  a  package  of 
papers  from  a  pigeon-hole  and  laid  the 
letter  before  the  Colonel.  It  was  the  or 
dinary  offer  agreeing  to  print  the  bonds  for 
a  specified  sum,  and  had  been  one  of  the 
many  harmless  dodges  Fitz  had  used  to 
keep  the  Colonel's  spirits  up. 

The  Colonel  studied  the  document 
carefully. 

"  When  I  accept  this,  of  co'se,  the  mat- 
tuh  is  closed  between  me  and  the  Com 
pany?" 

"  Certainly." 

"  And  no  other  party  could  either  print 
or  receive  the  bonds  except  on  my  written 
order?" 

[39] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  No."  Fitz  was  groping  now  in  the 
dark.  Why  the  Colonel  should  have  sud 
denly  dropped  Consolidated  Smelting  to 
speak  of  the  "  Garden  Spots  "  was  another 
mystery. 

"And  I  have  a  right  to  transfer  this 
order  to  any  one  I  please  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  Colonel."  The  mystery 
was  now  impenetrable. 

"You  have  no  objection  to  my  takin' 
this  letter,  Fitz  ?  " 

"  Not  the  slightest." 

The  Colonel  walked  to  the  window, 
looked  out  for  a  moment  into  the  street, 
walked  back  to  Fitz's  desk,  and  with  a 
tinge  of  resignation  in  his  voice  as  if  he 
had  at  last  nerved  himself  for  the  worst, 
laid  his  hand  on  Fitz's  shoulder : 

"  I  should  never  have  a  moment's  peace, 
Fitz,  if  I  did  not  exhaust  every  means  in 
[40] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

my  power  to  ward  off  this  catastrophe 
from  you.  Kindly  give  me  a  pen/' 

I  moved  closer.  Was  the  Colonel 
going  to  sign  his  check  for  a  million,  or 
was  there  some  unknown  friend  who,  at  a 
stroke  of  his  pen,  would  come  to  Fitz's 
rescue  ? 

The  Colonel  smoothed  out  the  letter 
containing  the  proposition  of  the  Engrav 
ing  Company,  tried  the  pen  on  his  thumb 
nail,  dipped  it  carefully  in  the  inkstand, 
poised  it  for  an  instant,  and  in  a  firm 
round  hand  wrote  across  its  type-written 
face  the  words : 

"Accepted. 

GEORGE  FAIRFAX  CARTER, 

of  Cartersville." 

Then  he  folded  the  paper  carefully  and 
slipped  it  into  his  inside  pocket. 

[41] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

This  done,  he  shook  Fitz's  hand 
gravely,  nodded  to  me  with  the  air  of  a 
man  absorbed  in  some  weighty  matter, 
picked  up  his  cane  and  hat  and  left  the 
office. 

"  What  in  the  name  of  common  sense 
is  he  going  to  do  with  that,  Fitz?"  I 
asked. 

"  I  give  it  up/'  said  Fitz.  "  Ask  me 
an  easy  one.  Dear  old  soul,  isn't  he 
lovely  P  He's  as  much  worried  over  the 
market  as  if  every  dollar  at  stake  was  his 
own.  Now  you've  got  to  excuse  me, 
Major.  IVe  got  a  land-office  business  on 
hand  to-day." 

The  Colonel's  manner  as  he  left  the 
room  had  been  so  calm  and  measured,  his 
back  so  straight,  the  swing  of  his  cane  so 
rhythmical,  his  firm  military  tread  so  full 
of  courage  and  determination,  that  I  had 
[42] 


The  Colonel  smoothed  out  the  letter. 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 


not  followed  him.  When  he  is  in  these 
moods  it  is  best  to  let  him  have  his  own 
way.  Fitz  and  I  had  discovered  this  some 
days  before,  when  we  tried  to  dissuade 
him  from  planting  into  Klutchem's  rotun 
dity  the  bullets  which  Chad  had  cast  with 
so  much  care. 

Had  I  questioned  him  as  he  walked 
out  this  morning  he  would  doubtless  have 
said,  "  I  do  not  expect  you  Nawthern 
men,  with  yo'r  contracted  ideas  of  what 
constitutes  a  man's  personal  honor,  to 
understand  the  view  I  take  of  this  mat- 
tuh,  Major,  but  my  blood  requires  it.  I 
never  forget  that  I  am  a  Caarter,  suh, — 
and  you  must  never  forget  it  either." 

Moreover,  had  I  gone  with  him  the 
visit  might  have  assumed  an  air  of  undue 
importance.  There  was  nothing  therefore 
for  me  to  do  but  to  wait.  So  I  buried  my- 

[43] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

self  in  an  armchair,  picked  up  the  morning 
papers,  and  tried  to  possess  my  soul  in 
patience  until  the  Colonel  should  again 
make  his  appearance  with  a  full  report  of 
his  mission. 

Twice  during  my  long  wait  Fitz  burst 
in,  grabbed  up  some  papers  from  his  desk 
and  bounded  out  again,  firing  some  orders 
to  his  clerks  as  he  disappeared  through  the 
door.  He  was  too  absorbed  to  more  than 
nod  to  me,  and  he  never  once  mentioned 
the  Colonel's  name. 

About  noon  a  customer  in  the  outer 
office — there  were  half  a  dozen  of  them 
watching  the  ticker — handed  an  "  extra  " 
to  the  clerk,  who  brought  it  to  me.  Con 
solidated  Smelting  was  up  ten  points ; 
somebody  had  got  out  an  injunction,  and 
two  small  concerns  in  Broad  Street  had 
struck  their  colors  and  sent  word  to  the 

[44] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Exchange  that  they  could  not  meet  their 
contracts. 

Still  no  Colonel ! 

Had  he  failed  to  find  Klutchem  ;  had 
he  been  thrown  out  of  the  office  or  had 
he  refrained  from  again  visiting  Fitz  until 
he  had  accomplished  something  definite 
for  his  relief? 

With  the  passing  of  the  hours  I  became 
uneasy.  The  Colonel,  I  felt  sure,  espe 
cially  in  his  present  frame  of  mind,  would 
not  desert  Fitz  unless  something  out  of 
the  common  had  happened.  I  would  go 
to  Klutchem's  office  first,  and  not  finding 
him  there,  I  would  keep  on  to  Bedford 
Place  and  interview  Chad. 

"  Been     here  ? "     growled     Klutchem's 

clerk  in  answer  to  my  question.     "  Well, 

I  should  think  so.     Tried  to  murder  Mr. 

Klutchem.     They're  all  up  at  the  police 

[45] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

station.  Nice  day  for  a  muss  like  this 
when  everything's  kitin'  !  You  don't 
know  whether  you're  a-foot  or  a-horse- 
back !  These  fire-eaters  ought  to  be 
locked  up  ! " 

"Arrested!" 

"  Well  you'd  a-thought  so  if  you'd  been 
here  half  an  hour  ago.  He  kept  comin* 
in  callin'  for  Mr.  Klutchem,  and  then  he 
sat  down  and  said  he'd  wait.  Looked 
like  a  nice,  quiet  old  fellow,  and  nobody 
took  any  notice  of  him.  When  Mr. 
Klutchem  came  in — he'd  been  to  the 
Clearing-house — they  both  went  into  his 
private  office  and  shut  the  door.  First 
thing  we  heard  was  some  loud  talk  and 
then  the  thump  of  a  cane,  and  when  I  got 
inside  the  old  fellow  was  beatin'  Mr. 
Klutchem  over  the  head  with  a  stick  thick 
as  your  wrist.  We  tried  to  put  him  out, 

[46] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

or  keep  him  quiet,  but  he  wanted  to  fight 
the  whole  office.  Then  a  cop  heard  the 
row  and  came  in  and  took  the  bunch 
to  the  station.  Do  you  know  him  ?  " 

This  last  inquiry  coming  at  the  end 
of  the  explosion  showed  me  how  vivid 
the  scene  still  was  in  the  clerk's  mind 
and  how  it  had  obliterated  every  other 
thought. 

"  Know  him !  I  should  think  I  did,"  I 
answered,  my  mind  in  a  whirl.  "  Where 
have  they  taken  him  ?  " 

"Where  have  they  taken  'em,  Billy?" 
asked  the  clerk,  repeating  my  question  to 
an  assistant. 

"  Old  Slip.  You  can't  miss  it.  It's 
got  a  lamp  over  the  door." 

The  Sergeant  smiled  when  I  stepped 
up  to  the  desk  and  made  the  inquiry. 

[47] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Yes ;  a  man  named  Klutchem  had 
made  a  charge  of  assault  against  one 
George  Carter.  Carter  was  then  locked 
up  in  one  of  the  cells  and  could  not  be 
interviewed  without  the  consent  of  the 
Captain  of  the  Precinct  who  would  be  back 
in  a  few  minutes. 

"  Guess  it  ain't  serious,"  the  Sergeant 
added.  "  Couple  of  old  sports  got  hot, 
that's  all,  and  this  old  feller — "  and  he 
hunched  his  shoulder  towards  the  cells — 
"pasted  the  other  one  over  the  nut  with 
his  toothpick.  Step  one  side.  Next !  " 

I  sat  down  on  a  bench.  The  dear  Colo 
nel  locked  up  in  a  cell  like  a  common 
criminal.  What  would  Chad  say;  what 
would  Aunt  Nancy  say  ;  what  would  Fitz 
say ;  what  would  everybody  say  P  And 
then  the  mortification  to  him  ;  the  wound 
ing  of  his  pride;  the  disgrace  of  it  all. 
[48] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Men  and  women  came  and  went ;  some 
with  bruised  heads,  some  with  blackened 
eyes,  one  wearing  a  pair  of  handcuffs — a 
sneak  thief,  caught,  with  two  overcoats. 
Was  the  Colonel  sharing  a  cell  with  such 
people  as  these  ?  The  thought  gave  me 
a  shiver. 

A  straightening-up  of  half  a  dozen  po 
licemen  ;  a  simultaneous  touching  of  caps, 
and  the  Captain,  a  red-faced,  black-mous- 
tached,  blue-coated  chunk  of  a  man,  held 
together  at  the  waist  by  a  leather  belt  and 
be-decked  and  be-striped  with  gilt  buttons 
and  gold  braid,  climbed  into  the  pulpit  of 
justice  and  faced  the  room. 

I  stepped  up. 

He   listened  to  my  story,  nodded  his 

head  to  a  doorman  and  I  followed  along 

the  iron  corridor  and  stood  in  front  of  a 

row  of  cells.    The  Turnkey  looked  over  a 

[49] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

hoop  of  keys,  turned  one  in  a  door,  threw 
it  wide  and  said,  waving  his  finger : 

"  Inside  !  "     These  men  use  few  words. 

The  Colonel  from  the  gloom  of  the  cell 
saw  me  first. 

"Why,  you  dear  Major!"  he  cried. 
You  are  certainly  a  good  Sama'itan.  In 
prison  and  you  visited  me.  I  am  sorry 
that  I  can't  offer  you  a  chair,  suh,  but  you 
see  that  my  quarters  are  limited.  Fort 
unately  so  far  I  have  been  able  to  occupy 
it  alone.  Tell  me  of  Fitz " 

"  But  Colonel !  "  I  gasped.  "  I  want 
to  know  how  this  happened?  How  was 
it  possible  that  you " 

"  My  dear  Major,  that  can  wait.  Tell 
me  of  Fitz.  He  has  not  been  out  of  my 
thoughts  a  moment.  Will  he  get  through 
the  day  ?  I  did  eve'ythmg  I  could,  suh, 
and  exhausted  eve'y  means  in  my  power." 
[50] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  Fitz  is  all  right.  They've  got  out  an 
injunction  and  the  market  is  steadier " 

"  And  he  will  weather  the  gale  ?  " 

"  I  think  so." 

"  Thank  God  for  that,  suh  ! "  he  an 
swered,  his  lips  quivering.  "When  you 
see  him  give  him  my  dea'est  love  and  tell 
him  that  I  left  no  stone  unturned." 

"  Why  you'll  see  him  in  an  hour  your 
self.  You  don't  suppose  we  are  going  to 
let  you  stay  here,  do  you  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  suh.  I  am  not  p'e- 
pared  to  say.  I  have  violated  the  laws  of 
the  State,  suh,  and  I  did  it  purposely,  and 
I'm  willin'  to  abide  the  consequences  and 
take  my  punishment.  I  should  have 
struck  Mr.  Klutchem  after  what  he  said  to 
me  if  I  had  been  hanged  for  it  in  an 
hour.  I  may  be  released,  suh,  but  it  will 
not  be  with  any  taint  on  my  honor.  And 

[51] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

now  that  my  mind  is  at  rest  about  Fitz,  I 
will  tell  you  exactly  what  occurred  and  you 
can  judge  for  yo'self. 

"  When  Mr.  Klutchem  at  last  arrived  at 
his  office — I  had  gone  there  several  times 
— I  said  to  him  : 

" c  Don't  start,  Mr.  Klutchem,  I  have 
come  in  the  interest  of  my  friend,  Mr. 
Fitzpatrick.  Any  diff'ences  between  you 
and  me  can  wait  for  a  mo*  convenient  sea 
son.' 

" ( Come  in,'  he  said,  and  he  looked 
somewhat  relieved,  c  what  do  you  want  ? ' 
and  we  entered  his  private  office  and  sat 
down.  I  then,  in  the  most  co'teous  man 
ner,  went  into  the  details  of  the  transac 
tion,  and  asked  him  in  the  name  of  decency 
that  he  would  not  crowd  Fitz  to  the  wall 
and  ruin  him,  but  that  he  would  at  least 
give  him  time  to  make  good  his  obligations. 

[52] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 


" c  He  can  have  it/  he  blurted  out, 
c  have  all  the  time  he  wants — all  of 'em  can 
have  it.'  You  know  how  coarse  he  can 
be,  Major,  and  can  understand  how  he  said 
this.  €  But ' — and  here  Mr.  Klutchem  laid 
his  finger  alongside  his  nose — a  vulgaar 
gesture,  of  co'se,  but  quite  in  keepin'  with 
the  man — cwe  want  some  collateral  that 
are  copper-fastened  and  gilt-edged  all  the 
way  through ' — I  quote  his  exact  words, 
Major. 

" c  I  have  expected  that,  suh/  I  said, 
cand  I  came  p'epared/  and  I  unbuttoned 
my  coat,  took  out  the  document  you  saw 
me  sign  in  Fitz's  office,  and  laid  it  befo* 
him. 

" <  What  is  this  ? '  he  said. 

" c  My  entire  interest  in  the  Caarters- 
ville  and  Warrenton  Air  Line  Railroad/  I 
answered.  €  The  whole  issue  of  the  Gaar- 

[53] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

den  Spots,  as  you  have  no  doubt  heard 
them  familiarly  and  very  justly  called,  suh.' 

"  He  looked  at  me  and  said : 

" c  Why  these  are  not  bonds — it  is  only 
an  offer  to  print  'em/  he  said. 

" c  I  am  aware  of  that,'  I  answered, c  but 
look  at  my  signature,  suh.  I  shall  on 
your  acceptance  of  my  proposition,  trans 
fer  the  whole  issue  to  you — then  they 
become  yo?  absolute  property.' 

" c  For  what  ? '  he  interrupted. 

" c  As  an  offerin'  for  my  friend,  suh.' 

"  c  What !  As  margin  for  Consolidated 
Smeltin'  ? ' 

" c  True,  suh.  They  are,  of  co'se, 
largely  in  excess  of  yo'  needs,  but  Mr. 
Fitzpatrick  is  one  of  my  dea'est  friends. 
You,  of  co'se,  realize  that  I  am  left  penni 
less  myself  if  my  friend's  final  obligation 
to  you  should  exceed  their  face  value0* 

[54] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  He  got  up,  opened  the  door  of  a  safe 
and  said,  c  Do  you  see  that  tin  box  ? ' 

"  c  I  do,  suh.' 

" (  Do  you  know  what  is  in  it  ? ' 

"  <  I  do  not,  suh/ 

" c  Full  of  stuff  that  will  sell  under  the 
hammer  above  par.  Tell  Mr.  Fitzpatrick 
if  he  and  his  customers  have  anythin'  like 
that  to  bring  it  in — and  look  here ' — and 
he  pulled  out  a  small  drawer.  c  See  that 
watch  ? '  I  looked  in  and  saw  a  gold 
watch,  evidently  a  gentleman's,  Major. 
c  That  watch  belonged  to  a  customer  who 
got  short  of  our  stock  last  week.  It's 
wiped  out  now  and  a  lot  of  other  things  he 
brought  in.  That's  what  we  call  collateral 
down  here/ 

"  c  I  am  not  surprised,  suh,'  I  answered. 
c  If  men  of  yo'  class  can  fo'ce  themselves 
into  our  county;  divest  a  man  of  his 

[55] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 


silver-plate  and  family  po'traits,  as  was 
done  to  a  gentleman  friend  of  mine  of  the 
highest  standin'  in  my  own  State  by  a 
Nawthern  caarpet-bag  Bank,  I  am  not  as 
tonished  that  you  avail  yo'self  of  a  cus 
tomer's  watch/  I  said  '  divest '  and 
'avail.  Major.  I  intended  to  say  'steal* 
and  (  roby  but  I  checked  myself  in  time. 

" c  Do  you  think  that's  any  worse  than 
yo'  comin'  down  here  and  tryin'  to  bunco 
me  with  a  swindle  like  that* — and  he 
picked  up  the  document  and  tossed  it  on 
the  flo'. 

"  You  know  me  well  enough,  Major,  to 
know  what  followed.  Befo'  the  words 
were  out  of  his  mouth  he  was  flat  on  his 
back  and  I  standin'  over  him  with  my  cane. 
Then  his  clerks  rushed  in  and  separated 
us.  My  present  situation  is  the  result." 

The  Colonel  stopped  and  looked  about 

[56] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

the  prison  corridor.  "  Strange  and  inter- 
estin'  place,  isn't  it,  Major?  I  shall  be 
reasonably  comfortable  here,  I  s'pose " 
— and  he  raised  his  eyes  towards  the 
white-washed  ceiling.  "  There  is  not  quite 
so  much  room  as  I  had  at  City  Point 
when  I  was  a  prisoner  of  war,  but  I  shall 
get  along,  no  doubt.  I  have  not  inquired 
yet  whether  they  will  allow  me  a  servant, 
but  if  they  do  I  shall  have  Chad  bring 
me  down  some  comfo'ts  in  the  mornin'.  I 
think  I  should  like  a  blanket  and  pillow 
and  perhaps  an  easy-chair.  I  can  tell  bet 
ter  after  passin'  the  night  here.  By  the 
way,  Major,  on  yo*  way  home  you  might 
stop  and  see  Chad.  Tell  him  the  facts 
exactly  as  I  have  stated  them  to  you.  He 
will  understand  ;  he  was  with  me,  you  re 
member,  when  I  was  overpow'ed  and  capt 
ured  the  last  year  of  the  War." 

[57] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

The  Turnkey,  who  had  been  pacing  up 
and  down  the  corridor,  stopped  in  front 
of  the  gate.  The  Colonel  read  the  expres 
sion  on  his  face,  and  shaking  my  hand 
warmly,  said  with  the  same  air  that  a 
captured  general  might  have  had  in  taking 
leave  of  a  member  of  his  staff: 

"  The  officer  seems  impatient,  Major, 
and  I  must,  therefo',  ask  you  to  excuse 
me.  My  dear  love  to  Fitz,  and  tell  him 
not  to  give  my  imprisonment  a  thought. 
Good-bye,"  and  he  waved  his  hand  majes 
tically  and  stepped  back  into  the  cell. 


[58] 


Ill 


F  I^HE  arrival  of  Fitz  in  a  cab  at  the 
-••  Police-station  half  an  hour  later — 
just  time  enough  for  me  to  run  all  the 
way  to  his  office — the  bailing  out  of  the 
Colonel  much  against  his  protest,  his  con 
sent  being  gained  only  when  Fitz  and  I 
assured  him  that  such  things  were  quite 
within  the  limit  of  our  judicial  code,  and 
that  no  stain  on  his  honor  would  or  could 
ensue  from  any  such  relief;  the  Colonel's 
formal  leave-taking  of  the  Captain,  the 
Sergeant  and  the  Turnkey,  each  of  whom 
he  thanked  impressively  for  the  courtesies 
they  had  shown  him;  our  driving — the 
Colonel  and  I  —  post-haste  to  Bedford 
Place,  lest  by  any  means  Chad  might  have 
[59] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

heard  of  the  affair  and  so  be  frightened  half 
out  of  his  wits ;  the  calm  indifference  of 
that  loyal  darky  when  he  ushered  us  into 
the  hall  and  heard  the  Colonel's  statement, 
and  Chad's  sententious  comment:  "  In  de 
Calaboose,  Colonel !  Well,  fo'  God  !  what 
I  tell  ye  'bout  dis  caanin'  bis'ness.  Got  to 
git  dem  barkers  ready  jes'  I  toP  ye  ;  dat's 
de  only  thing  dat'll  settle  dis  muss," — 
these  and  other  incidents  of  the  day  equal 
ly  interesting  form  connecting  links  in  a 
story  which  has  not  only  become  part  of 
the  history  of  the  Carter  family  but  which 
still  serve  as  delightful  topics  whenever 
the  Colonel's  name  is  mentioned  by  his 
many  friends  in  the  Street. 

More  important  things,  however,  than 
the  arrest  and  bailing  out  of  the  Colonel 
were  taking  place  in  the  Street.  One  of 
those  financial  bombs  which  are  always 

[60] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

lying  around  loose  —  a  Pacific  Mail,  or 
Erie,  or  N.  P.  —  awaiting  some  fool- 
match  to  start  it,  sailed  out  from  its  hiding 
place  a  few  minutes  before  the  Exchange 
closed — while  Fitz  was  bailing  out  the 
Colonel,  in  fact — hung  for  an  instant 
trembling  in  mid-air,  and  burst  into  promi 
nence  with  a  sound  that  shook  the  Street 
to  its  foundations.  In  five  minutes  the 
floor  of  the  Exchange  was  a  howling  mob, 
the  brokers  fighting,  tearing,  yelling  them 
selves  hoarse.  Money  went  up  to  one  per 
cent,  and  legal  interest  over  night,  and 
stocks  that  had  withstood  every  financial 
assault  for  years  tottered,  swayed  and 
plunged  headlong.  Into  the  abyss  fell 
Consolidated  Smelting.  Not  only  were 
the  ten  points  of  the  day's  rise  wiped  out, 
but  thirty  points  besides.  Shares  that  at 
the  opening  sold  readily  at  55  went  beg- 
[61] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

ging  at  30.  Klutchem  and  his  backers 
were  clinging  to  the  edges  of  the  pit  with 
ruin  staring  them  in  the  face,  and  Fitz  was 
sailing  over  the  crater  thousands  of  dollars 
ahead  of  his  obligations. 

THE  following  morning  another  visitor 
— a  well-dressed  man  with  a  diamond  pin 
in  his  scarf— walked  up  and  down  Fitz's 
office  awaiting  his  arrival — a  short,  thick 
set,  large-paunched  man  with  a  heavy  jaw, 
a  straight  line  of  a  mouth,  two  little  rest 
less  eyes  wobbling  about  in  a  pulp  of 
wrinkles,  flabby  cheeks,  a  nose  that  was 
too  small  for  the  area  it  failed  to  orna 
ment,  and  a  gray  stubbly  beard  shaven 
so  closely  at  its  edges  that  it  looked  as 
if  its  owner  might  either  wear  it  on  his 
chin  or  put  it  in  his  pocket  at  his  pleas 
ure. 

[62] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  Down  yet  ? "  asked  the  visitor  in  a 
quick,  impatient  voice. 

"Not  yet,  Mr.  Klutchem.  Take  a 
seat."  Then  the  clerk  passed  his  hand 
over  his  face  to  straighten  out  a  rebellious 
smile  and  hid  his  head  in  the  ledger. 

"  I'll  wait,"  retorted  the  banker,  and 
stepping  inside  Fitz's  private  office  he  set 
tled  himself  in  a  chair,  legs  apart>  hands 
clasped  across  his  girth. 

Fitz  entered  with  an  air  that  would  have 
carried  comfort  to  the  Colonel's  soul — with 
a  spring,  a  breeze,  a  lightness ;  a  being  at 
peace  with  all  the  world ;  and  best  of  all 
with  a  self-satisfied  repose  that  was  in  ab 
solute  contrast  to  the  nervousness  of  the 
day  before. 

"  Who  ?  "  he  asked  of  his  clerk. 

"  Klutchem." 

"  Where  ? " 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

The  clerk  pointed  to  the  office  door. 

Fitz's  face  straightened  out  and  grew 
suddenly  grave,  but  he  stepped  briskly 
into  his  sanctum  and  faced  his  enemy. 

"Well,  what  is  it,  Mr.  Klutchem?" 

Before  his  visitor  opened  his  mouth, 
Fitz  saw  that  the  fight  was  all  out  of  the 
Head  Centre  of  Consolidated  Smelting. 
A  nervous,  conciliatory  smile  started  from 
the  line  of  Klutchem's  mouth,  wrinkled 
the  flesh  of  his  face  as  far  as  his  cheeks, 
and  died  out  again. 

"We  got  hit  pretty  bad  yesterday, 
Fitzpatrick,  and  I  thought  we  might  as 
well  talk  it  over  and  see  if  we  couldn't 
straighten  out  the  market." 

"  Then  it  isn't  about  Colonel  Carter  ?  " 
said  Fitz  coldly. 

He  had  all  the  Consolidated  he  wanted 
and  didn't  see  where  Klutchem  could  be 

[64] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

of  the  slightest  use  in  straightening  out 
anything. 

"  I'll  attend  to  him  later,"  replied  Klut- 
chem,  and  a  curious  expression  overspread 
his  face.  "  You  heard  about  it,  then  ? " 

"  Heard  about  it !  I  bailed  him  out. 
If  you  wanted  to  lock  anybody  up  why 
didn't  you  get  after  someone  who  knew 
the  ropes,  not  a  man  like  the  Colonel  who 
never  had  a  dishonest  thought  in  his  head 
and  who  is  as  tender-hearted  as  a  child." 

"  You  don't  know  what  you're  talking 
about,"  flared  Klutchem.  "He  came 
down  with  a  cock-and-bull  story  and 
wanted  me  to  take " 

"  I  know  the  whole  story,  every  word 
of  it.  He  came  down  to  offer  you  every 
dollar  of  his  interest  in  a  scheme  that  is 
as  real  to  him  as  if  the  bonds  were  selling 
on  the  Exchange  at  par.  They  are  all  he 
[65] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

has  in  the  world,  and  if  some  miracle 
should  occur  and  they  should  be  worth 
their  face  value  he  would  never  touch  a 
penny  of  the  proceeds  if  he  was  starving 
to  death,  because  of  the  promise  he  made 
you.  And  in  my  interest,  too,  not  his 
own,  and  all  for  love  of  me,  his  friend." 

"  But  it  was  only  a  letter  from  a  con 
cern  offering  to  print — 

"  Certainly.  And  across  it  he  had  writ 
ten  his  name — both,  I  grant  you,  not  worth 
the  paper  they  were  written  on.  But  why 
didn't  you  have  the  decency  to  humor  the 
dear  old  fellow  as  we  all  do,  and  treat  him 
with  the  same  courtesy  with  which  he 
treated  you,  instead  of  insulting  him  by 
throwing  the  letter  in  his  face.  You'll  ex 
cuse  me,  Mr.  Klutchem,  when  I  say  it  gets 
me  pretty  hot  when  I  think  of  it.  I  don't 
blame  him  for  cracking  you  over  the  head, 
[66] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

and  neither  would  you,  if  you  understood 
him  as  I  do/' 

Klutchem  looked  out  of  the  window 
and  twisted  his  thumbs  for  an  instant  as 
if  in  deep  thought.  The  outcome  of  the 
interview  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
him,  and  he  did  not  want  anything  to  oc 
cur  which  would  prejudice  his  case  with 
the  broker.  Fitz  sat  in  front  of  him,  bent 
forward,  his  hands  on  his  knees,  his  eyes 
boring  into  Klutchem's. 

Then  a  puzzled,  and  strange  to  say  what 
appeared  to  be  a  more  kindly  expression 
broke  over  Klutchem's  face. 

"  I  guess  I  was  rough,  but  I  didn't  mean 
it,  really.  You  know  how  it  was  yester 
day — regular  circus  all  day.  I  wouldn't 
have  made  the  charge  at  the  police-station 
— for  he  didn't  hurt  me  much — if  the  po 
liceman  hadn't  compelled  me.  And  then 

[67] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

don't  forget,  this  isn't  the  first  time  I've 
come  across  him.  He  came  to  my  house 
once  when  I  was  laid  up  with  the  gout, 

and " 

"Yes/'  interrupted  Fitz,  "I  haven't 
forgotten  it,  and  what  did  he  come  for  ? 
To  apologize,  didn't  he  ?  I  should  have 
thought  you'd  have  seen  enough  of  him  at 
that  time  to  know  what  kind  of  a  man  he 
was.  Down  here  in  the  Street  we've  got  to 
put  things  down  on  paper  and  we  don't  trust 
anybody.  We  don't  understand  the  kind 
of  a  man  whose  word  is  literally  as  good 
as  his  bond,  and  who,  to  help  any  man  he 
calls  his  friend,  would  spend  his  last  cent 
and  go  hungry  the  balance  of  his  life. 
I've  lived  round  here  a  good  deal  in 
my  time  and  I've  seen  all  kinds  of 
men,  but  the  greatest  compliment  I  ever 
had  paid  me  in  my  life  was  when  the 
[68] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Colonel  offered  you  yesterday  the  scrap 
of  paper  that  you  threw  back  in  his  face." 

As  Fitz  talked  on  Klutchem's  tightly 
knit  brows  began  to  loosen.  He  hadn't 
heard  such  things  for  a  good  many  years. 
Life  was  a  scramble  and  devil  take  the 
hindermost  with  him.  If  anybody  but 
Fitz — one  of  the  level-headed  men  in  the 
Street — had  talked  to  him  thus,  he  might 
not  have  paid  attention,  but  he  knew  Fitz 
was  sincere  and  that  he  spoke  from  his 
heart.  The  still  water  at  the  bottom  of  the 
banker's  well — the  water  that  was  frozen 
over  or  sealed  up,  or  so  deep  that  few  buck 
ets  ever  reached  it — began  to  be  stirred. 
His  anxiety  over  Consolidated  only  added 
another  length  to  the  bucket's  chain. 

"  Fitzpatrick,  I  guess  you're  right. 
What  ought  I  to  do?" 

"  You  ought  to  go  up  to  his  house  this 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

very  day  and  beg  his  pardon,  and  then 
wipe  out  that  idiotic  charge  you  made  at 
the  police-station." 

"  I  will,  Fitzpatrick." 

"  You  will  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  There's  my  hand.  Now  bring  out 
your  Consolidated  Smelting,  and  I'll  do 
what's  decent." 

At  four  o'clock  that  same  day  Fitz, 
with  Mr.  Klutchem  beside  him,  swung 
back  the  wicket-gate  of  the  tunnel,  trav 
ersed  its  gloom,  crossed  the  shabby  yard 
piled  high  with  snow  heaped  up  by  Chad's 
active  shovel,  and  rapped  at  the  front  door 
of  the  little  house. 

The  Colonel  was  in  his  chair  by  the  fire. 
I  had  just  told  him  the  good  news,  and  he 
and  I  were  sampling  a  fresh  bottle  of  the 
groceryman's  Madeira  in  celebration  of 

[70] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

the  joyous  turn  in  Fitz's  affairs,  when 
Chad  with  eyes  staring  from  his  head  an 
nounced  : 

"  Misser  Klutchem  and  Misser  Fitz- 
patrick." 

What  the  old  darky  thought  was  com 
ing  I  do  not  know,  but  I  learned  after 
wards,  that  as  soon  as  he  had  closed  the 
door  behind  the  visitors,  he  mounted  the 
stairs  three  steps  at  a  time,  grabbed  up  the 
case  of  pistols  from  his  master's  dressing- 
table,  pulled  the  corks  from  their  mouths, 
and  hurrying  down  laid  the  case  and  its 
contents  on  the  hall  table  to  be  ready  for 
instant  use. 

The  announcement  of  Klutchem's  name 
brought  the  Colonel  to  his  feet  as  straight 
as  a  ramrod. 

"  It's  all  right,  Colonel,"  said  Fitz,  not 
ing  the  color  rise  in  his  friend's  face.  "  Mr. 

[71] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Klutchem  and  I  have  settled  all  our  dif 
ferences.  He  has  just  offered  me  a  barrel 
of  Consolidated,  and  at  my  own  price. 
That  fight's  all  over,  and  I  bear  him  no 
grudge.  As  to  yourself,  he  has  come  up  to 
tell  you  how  sorry  he  is  for  what  occurred 
yesterday,  and  to  make  any  reparation  to 
you  in  his  power." 

Klutchem  had  not  intended  to  go  so 
far  as  that,  and  he  winced  a  little  under 
Fitz's  allusion  to  the  "  barrel,"  but  he 
was  in  for  it  now,  and  would  follow  Fitz's 
lead  to  the  end.  Then  again,  the  papers 
in  the  Consolidated  matter  would  not  be 
signed  until  the  morning. 

"Yes,  Carter,  I'm  sorry.  Fact  is,  I 
misunderstood  you.  I  was  very  busy,  you 
remember,  and  I'm  sorry,  too,  for  what 
occurred  at  the  police-station  ;  that,  how 
ever,  you  know  I  couldn't  help." 

[72] 


"  Misser  Klutchem  and   Misser  Fitzpatrick." 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

The  omission  of  the  Virginian's  title 
scraped  the  skin  from  the  Colonel's 
amour  propre,  but  the  words  "  I'm  sorry" 
coming  immediately  thereafter  healed  the 
wound. 

The  military  bearing  of  our  host  began 
to  relax. 

"  And  you  have  come  here  with  my 
friend  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  to  tell  me  this?  " 

"  I  have." 

"  And  you  intended  no  reflection  on 
my  honor  when  you — when  you — handed 
me  back  my  secu'ities  ?  " 

"  No,  I  didn't.  The  stuff  wasn't  our 
kind,  you  know.  If  I  had  stopped  to 
hear  what  you  had  to  say  I'd " 

"  Let  it  all  pass,  suh.  I  accept  yo' 
apology  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  was  given, 
suh.  As  to  my  imprisonment,  that  is  a 
matter  which  is  not  of  the  slightest  conse- 

[73] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

quence.  We  soldiers  are  accustomed  to 
these  inconveniences,  suh.  It  is  part  of 
the  fortunes  of  war.  Take  that  chair,  Mr. 
Klutchem,  and  let  my  servant  relieve  you 
of  yo'  coat  and  hat." 

The  promptness  with  which  that  in 
dividual  answered  to  his  name  left  no 
doubt  in  my  mind  that  that  worthy  de 
fender  of  the  Colonel's  honor  had  been 
standing  ready  outside  the  door,  which 
had  been  left  partly  open  for  the  purpose, 
his  hand  on  the  knob. 

"Yes,  sah.     I  heard  ye,  Colonel." 

"  And,  Chad,  bring  some  glasses  for  the 
gentlemen." 

Klutchem  settled  his  large  frame  in  the 
chair  that  had  been  vacated  by  the  Colonel, 
and  watched  the  glass  being  slowly  filled 
from  a  decanter  held  in  his  host's  own  hands. 
Fitz  and  I  retired  to  the  vicinity  of  the  side- 

[74] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

board,  where  he  gave  me  in  an  undertone  an 
account  of  the  events  of  the  morning. 

"  Got  a  nice  box  of  a  place  here,  Col 
onel,"  remarked  Mr.  Klutchem.  He  re 
membered  the  title  this  time — the  sur 
roundings  had  begun  to  tell  upon  him. 
"  Cost  you  much  ?  "  and  the  broker's  eyes 
roamed  about  the  room,  taking  in  the  big 
mantel,  the  brass  andirons,  India  blue 
china  and  silver  candlesticks. 

"  A  mere  trifle,  suh,"  said  the  Colonel, 
stiffening.  The  cost  of  things  were  never 
mentioned  in  this  atmosphere.  "To  as 
sociate  bargain  and  sale  with  the  appoint 
ments  of  yo'  household  is  like  puttin* 
yo'  hospitality  up  at  auction,"  he  would 
frequently  say. 

"A  mere  trifle,  suh,"  he  repeated.  "My 
estates,  as  you  probably  know,  are  in  Vir 
ginia,  near  my  ancestral  town  of  Caarters- 

[75] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

ville.     Are  you  familiar  with  that  part  of 
the  country,  suh?" 

And  thereupon,  on  the  banker's  express 
ing  his  entire  ignorance  of  Fairfax  County 
and  its  contiguous  surroundings,  the  Col 
onel,  now  that  his  honor  as  a  duellist  had 
been  satisfied  by  Klutchem's  apologies ; 
his  friend's  ruin  averted  by  the  banker's 
generosity,  as  was  attested  by  his  offering 
Fitz  a  barrel  full  of  securities  which  the 
day  previous  were  worth  their  weight  in 
gold ;  and  especially  because  this  same 
philanthropist  was  his  guest,  at  once 
launched  forth  on  the  beauty  of  his  section 
of  the  State.  In  glowing  terms  he  de 
scribed  the  charms  of  the  river  Tench ;  the 
meadows  knee  deep  in  clover ;  the  moun 
tains  filled  with  the  riches  of  the  Orient 
looming  up  into  the  blue ;  the  forests  of 
hardwood,  etc.,  etc.,  and  all  in  so  persuasive 

[76] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

and  captivating  a  way  that  the  practical 
banker,  always  on  the  lookout  for  compe 
tent  assistants,  made  a  mental  memoran 
dum  to  consult  Fitz  in  the  morning  on 
the  possibility  of  hiring  the  Colonel  to 
work  off  an  issue  of  State  bonds  which  at 
the  moment  were  dead  stock  on  his  hands. 
By  this  time  Klutchem,  warmed  by  his 
host's  Madeira  and  cheery  fire,  had  not 
only  become  really  interested  in  the  man 
beside  him,  but  had  lost  to  a  certain  extent 
something  of  his  blunt  Wall  Street  manner 
and  hard  commercial  way  of  looking  at 
things.  It  was,  therefore,  not  surprising 
to  either  Fitz  or  myself,  who  had  watched 
the  gradual  adjustment  of  the  two  men, 
to  hear  the  Colonel,  who  had  now  entirely 
forgotten  all  animosity  towards  his  enemy 
say  to  Klutchem  with  great  warmth  of 
manner,  and  with  the  evident  intention  of 

[77] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

not  being  outdone  in  generosity  at  such  a 
time : 

"  I  would  like  to  show  you  that  gaarden, 
suh.  Perhaps  some  time  I  may  have  the 
pleasure  of  entertainin*  you  in  my  own 
home  at  Caartersville." 

Mr.  Klutchem  caught  his  breath.  He 
saw  the  Colonel  was  perfectly  sincere,  and 
yet  he  could  not  but  admit  the  absurdity 
of  the  situation.  Invited  to  visit  the  pri 
vate  estate  of  a  man  who  had  caned  him 
the  day  before,  and  against  whom  he  was 
expected  in  the  morning  to  make  a  com 
plaint  of  assault  and  battery  ! 

"  Oh,  that's  mighty  kind,  Colonel,  but 
I  guess  you'll  have  to  excuse  me." 

The  banker,  as  he  spoke,  glanced  at 
Fitz.  He  didn't  want  to  do  anything  to 
offend  Fitz — certainly  not  until  the  papers 
in  the  Consolidated  Smelting  settlement 

[78] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

were  complete  and  the  documents  signed 
— and  yet  he  didn't  see  how  he  could 
accept. 

"  But  I  won't  take  no  for  an  answer, 
suh.  Miss  Caarter  will  be  here  in  a 
day  or  two,  and  I  will  only  be  too 
happy  to  discuss  with  her  the  date  of 
yo'  visit." 

Before  Klutchem  could  refuse  again 
Fitz  stepped  forward,  and,  standing  over 
Mr.  Klutchem's  chair,  dug  his  knuckles 
into  the  broker's  back.  The  signal  was 
unmistakable. 

"  Well,  thank  you,  Colonel.  I'll  speak 
to  my  daughter  about  it,  and  if " 

"  Yo'  daughter,  suh  ?  Then  I  am  sure 
the  last  obstacle  is  removed.  Miss  Caarter 
will  be  mo'  than  delighted,  suh,  to  entertain 
her,  too.  I  will  ascertain  my  aunt's  plans 
as  soon  as  she  arrives,  and  will  let  you 

[79] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

know    definitely   when    she    will    be  best 
p'epared  for  yo'  entertainment." 

When  the  party  broke  up,  and  Fitz  and 
Mr.  Klutchem  had  been  helped  on  with 
their  coats  by  Chad,  Klutchem  remarked  to 
Fitz  as  we  all  walked  through  the  tunnel : 

"  Queer  old  party,  Fitzpatrick  ;  queer 
est  I  ever  saw.  You  were  right — not  a 
crooked  hair  in  his  head.  Glad  I  came. 
Of  course  I  can't  go  down  to  his  place — 
haven't  got  the  time — but  I  bet  you  he'd 
be  glad  to  see  me  if  I  did.  Funny,  too — 
poor  as  a  rat  and  busted,  and  yet  he 
never  said  *  Garden  Spots/  once." 

On  my  re-entering  the  house, — Fitz 
had  gone  on  with  Klutchem — Chad,  who 
was  waiting  for  me,  took  me  into  a  corner 
of  the  hall  and  said  in  a  voice  filled  with 
disappointment : 

[so] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"What  I  tell  ye,  Major?  Ain't  dat 
too  bad  ?  I  ain't  never  gwine  ter  forgib 
de  Colonel  for  lettin'  him  git  away.  Gor- 
A-Mighty  !  Did  ye  see  de  size  of  him — 
hardly  git  frough  de  gate !  Why,  der 
warn't  no  chance  o'  missin'  him.  Colonel 
could  a-filled  him  full  o'  holes  as  a  sieve." 


[81] 


IV 


THE  Colonel's  positive  injunction 
that  each  one  of  his  friends  should 
call  on  every  one  of  his  guests  within  forty- 
eight  hours  of  their  arrival  was  never  nec 
essary  in  the  case  of  Miss  Ann  Carter. 
One  day  was  enough  for  me — one  hour 
would  have  been  more  to  my  liking.  Only 
consideration  for  her  comfort,  and  the 
knowledge  that  she  would  be  somewhat 
fatigued  by  her  journey  from  Carter  Hall 
northward,  ever  kept  me  away  from  her 
that  long.  Then,  again,  I  knew  that  she 
wanted  at  least  one  entire  day  in  which  to 
straighten  out  the  various  domestic  ac 
counts  of  the  little  house  in  Bedford  Place, 

[82] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

including    that    complicated    and    highly- 
prized  pass-book  of  the  "  Grocerman." 

And  then  Chad's  delight  when  he  opened 
the  door  with  a  sweep,  his  face  a  sunburst 
of  smiles  and  announced  Miss  Carter's 
presence  in  the  house  !  And  the  new  note 
in  the  Colonel's  voice — a  note  of  triumph 
and  love  and  pride !  And  the  touches 
here  and  there  inside  the  cosy  rooms ; 
touches  that  only  a  woman  can  give — a 
new  curtain  here,  a  pot  of  flowers  there : 
all  joyous  happenings  that  made  a  visit 
to  Aunt  Nancy,  as  we  loved  to  call  her, 
one  of  the  events  to  be  looked  forward  to. 

BUT  it  was  not  Chad  who  opened  the 
door  on  this  particular  morning.  That 
worthy  darky  was  otherwise  occupied ;  in 
the  kitchen,  really,  plucking  the  feathers 
from  the  canvas-back  ducks.  They  had 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

been  part  of  the  dear  lady's  impedimenta, 
not  to  mention  a  huge  turkey,  a  box  of  ter 
rapin,  and  a  barrel  of  Pongateague  oysters, 
besides  unlimited  celery,  Tolman  sweet 
potatoes,  and  a  particular  brand  of  hominy, 
for  which  Fairfax  County  was  famous. 

1  say  it  was  not  Chad  at  all  who  opened 
the  door  and  took  my  card,  but  a  scrap  of 
a  pickaninny  about  three  feet  high,  with 
closely-cropped  wool,  two  strings  of  glist 
ening  white  teeth — two,  for  his  mouth  was 
always  open ;  a  pair  of  flaring  ears  like 
those  of  a  mouse,  and  two  little  restless, 
wicked  eyes  that  shone  like  black  dia 
monds  :  the  whole  of  him,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  his  cocoanut  of  a  head,  squeezed 
into  a  grey  cloth  suit  bristling  with  brass 
buttons  and  worsted  braid,  a  double  row 
over  his  chest,  and  a  stripe  down  each 
seam  of  his  trousers. 

[84] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Aunt  Nancy's  new  servant ! 

The  scrap  held  out  a  silver  tray  ;  re 
ceived  my  card  with  a  dip  of  his  head, 
threw  back  the  door  of  the  dining  room, 
scraped  his  foot  with  the  flourish  of  a  clog 
dancer,  and  disappeared  in  search  of  his 
mistress. 

Chad  stepped  from  behind  the  door, 
his  face  in  a  broad  grin.  He  had  crept 
up  the  kitchen  stairs,  and  had  been  watch 
ing  the  boy's  performance  from  the  rear 
room.  His  sleeves  were  rolled  up  and 
some  of  the  breast  feathers  of  the  duck 
still  stuck  to  his  fingers. 

"  Don't  dat  beat  de  Ian' !  Major,"  he 
said  to  me.  "  Did  ye  see  dem  buttons  on 
him  ?  Ain't  he  a  wonder  ?  Clar  to  good 
ness  looks  like  he's  busted  out  wid  brass 
measles.  And  he  a-waitin'  on  de  Mist'iss  ! 
I  ain't  done  nothin'  but  split  myself  a- 
[85] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

laughin'  ever  since  he  come.  MY  !  ! !  " 
and  Chad  bent  himself  double,  the  tears 
starting  to  his  eyes. 

"  What's  his  name,  Chad  ?  " 

"  Says  his  name's  Jeems.  Jeems,  mind 
ye ! "  Here  Chad  went  into  another 
convulsion.  "  Jim's  his  real  name,  jes' 
Jim.  He's  one  o'  dem  Barbour  niggers. 
Raised  down  t'other  side  de  Barbour 
plantation  long  side  of  our'n.  Miss 
Nancy's  been  down  to  Richmond  an' 
since  I  been  gone  she  don't  hab  no 
body  to  wait  on  her,  an'  so  she  tuk  dis 
boy  an*  fixed  him  up  in  dese  Richmond 
clothes.  He  says  he's  free.  Free,  mind 
ye  !  Dat's  what  all  dese  no  count  niggers 
is.  But  I'm  watchin'  him,  an'  de  fust  time 
he  plays  any  o'  dese  yer  free  tricks  on  me 
he'll  land  in  a  spell  o'  sickness,"  and  Chad 
choked  himself  with  another  chuckle. 
[86] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

The  door  swung  back. 

"  Miss  Caarter  say  dat  she'll  be  down  in 
a  minute/'  said  the  scrap. 

Chad  straightened  his  face  and  brought 
it  down  to  a  semblance  of  austerity  ;  always 
a  difficult  task  with  Chad. 

"  Who  did  you  say  was  yere?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  didn't  say — I  handed  her  de  kerd." 

"  How  did  you  carry  it  ?  " 

"  In  my  pan." 

"  What  did  ye  do  wid  de  pan  ?  " 

The  boy's  face  fell. 

"  I  lef  it  in  de  hall,  suh." 

"  Suh  !  suh !  Don't  you  c  suh'  me. 
Ain't  nobody  c  suh '  round  yere  but  de 
Colonel.  What  I  tell  you  to  call  me  ?  " 

"  Uncle  Chad." 

"  Dat's  it,  Uncle  Chad.  Now  go  'long, 
honey,  an*  take  yo'  seat  outside  wid  yo* 
pan  ;  plenty  folks  comin',  now  dey  know 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

de  Mist'iss  here.  Dar  she  is  now.  Dat's 
her  step,  on  de  stairs,  Major.  I  doan* 
want  her  to  catch  me  lookin'  like  dis. 
Drap  into  de  kitchen,  Major,  as  ye  go 
out,  I  got  sumpin'  to  show  ye.  Dem 
tarr'pins  de  Mist'iss  fotch  wid  her  make 
yo'  mouf  water/* 

Some  women,  when  they  enter  a  room, 
burst  in  like  a  child  just  out  of  school  and 
overwhelm  you  with  the  joyousness  of 
their  greetings ;  others  come  in  without  a 
sound,  settle  into  a  seat  and  regale  you 
in  monotones  with  histories  of  either  the 
attendant  misery  or  the  expected  calamity. 

Aunt  Nancy  floated  in  like  a  bubble 
blown  along  a  carpet,  bringing  with  her  a 
radiance,  a  charm,  a  gentleness,  a  gracious- 
ness  of  welcome,  a  gladness  at  seeing  you, 
so  sincere  and  so  heartfelt,  that  I  always 
felt  as  if  a  window  had  been  opened  let- 
[88] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

ting  in  the  sunshine  and  the  perfume  of 
flowers. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  Major ! "  and  she  held 
out  her  hand ;  that  tiny  little  hand  which 
lace  becomes  so  well,  and  that  always  sug 
gests  its  morning  baptism  of  rose  water. 
Such  a  dainty  white  hand  !  I  always  bend 
over  and  kiss  it  whenever  I  have  the 
chance,  trying  my  best  to  be  the  gallant  I 
know  she  would  like  me  to  be. 

After  the  little  ceremony  of  my  saluta 
tion  was  over  I  handed  her  to  a  seat, 
still  holding  her  finger-tips,  bowing  low 
just  as  her  own  cavaliers  used  to  do  in 
the  days  when  she  had  half  the  County  at 
her  feet.  I  love  these  make-believe  cere 
monies  when  I  am  with  her — and  then 
again  I  truly  think  she  would  not  be  so 
happy  without  them.  This  over  I  took 
my  place  opposite  so  1  could  watch  her 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

face  and  the  smiles  playing  across  it — that 
face  which  the  Colonel  always  said  re 
minded  him  of  "  Summer  roses  a-bloom 
in  October." 

We  talked  of  her  journey  and  of  how 
she  had  stood  the  cold  and  how  reluctant 
she  had  been  at  first  to  leave  Carter  Hall, 
especially  at  the  Christmas  season,  and  of 
the  Colonel  (not  a  word,  of  course,  about 
the  encounter  with  Klutchem — no  one 
would  have  dared  breathe  a  word  of  that 
to  her),  and  then  of  the  scrap  of  a  pick 
aninny  she  had  brought  with  her. 

"  Isn't  he  too  amusing  ?  I  brought  him 
up  as  much  to  help  dear  Chad  as  for  any 
other  reason.  But  he  is  incorrigible  at 
times  and  I  fear  I  shall  have  to  send  him 
back  to  his  mother.  I  thought  the  liv 
ery  might  increase  his  self-respect,  but  it 
only  seems  to  have  turned  his  head.  He 
[90] 


V 

COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

doesn't  obey  me  at  all,  and  is  so  forgetful. 
Chad  is  the  only  one  of  whom,  I  think, 
he  is  at  all  afraid." 

A  knock  now  sounded  in  the  hall  and 
I  could  hear  the  shuffling  of  Jim's  feet, 
and  the  swinging  back  of  the  door.  Then 
Fitz's  card  was  brought  in — not  on  the 
silver  tray  this  time,  but  clutched  in  the 
monkey  paw  of  the  pickaninny. 

Aunt  Nancy  looked  at  him  with  a  cer 
tain  well-assumed  surprise  and  drew  back 
from  the  proffered  card. 

"  James,  is  that  the  way  to  bring  me  a 
card  ?  Have  I  not  told  you  often " 

The  boy  looked  at  her,  his  face  in  a 
tangle  of  emotions.  "DeP0#/  Fo'  Gord, 
Mist'iss,  I  done  forgot  dat  pan/'  and  with 
a  spring  he  was  out  again,  returning  with 
Fitz's  pasteboard  on  the  silver  tray,  closely 
followed  by  that  gentleman  himself,  who 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

was  shaking  with  laughter  over  the  inci 
dent. 

"  One  of  your  body-guard,  Aunt 
Nancy  ?  "  said  Fitz,  as  he  bent  over  and 
kissed  her  hand.  It  was  astonishing  how 
easily  Fitz  fell  into  these  same  old-time 
customs  when  he  was  with  the  dear  lady — 
he,  of  all  men. 

"  No,  dear  friend,  one  of  the  new  race  of 
whom  I  am  trying  to  make  a  good  servant. 
His  grandmother  in  slave  times  belonged 
to  a  neighbor  of  ours,  and  this  little  fellow 
is  the  youngest  of  six.  IVe  just  been 
telling  the  Major  what  a  trial  he  is  to  me. 
And  now  let  me  look  at  you.  Ah  !  you 
have  been  working  too  hard.  I  see  it  in 
your  eyes.  Haven't  you  had  some  dread 
ful  strain  lately  ? " 

Fitz  declared  on  his  honor,  with  one 
hand  over  his  upper  watch  pocket,  and 

[92] 


One  of  yuur  body-guard,   Aunt  Nancy? 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

the  other  still  in  hers,  that  he  never  felt 
better  in  his  life,  and  that  so  idle  had  he 
become  lately,  that  it  was  hard  work  for 
him  to  keep  employed.  And  then  Aunt 
Nancy  made  him  sit  beside  her  on  the 
haircloth  sofa,  the  one  on  which  Fitz  would 
not  permit  the  Colonel  to  sleep,  and  I, 
being  nearest,  tucked  a  cushion  under  her 
absurdly  small  feet  and  rearranged  about 
her  shoulders  her  Indian  mull  shawl, 
which  didn't  require  any  rearranging  at 
all.  And  after  Fitz  had  told  the  dear 
lady  for  the  third  time  how  glad  he  was  to 
see  her,  and  after  she  had  told  him  how 
glad  she  was  to  see  both  of  us,  and  how 
she  hoped  dear  George  would  soon  secure 
the  money  necessary  to  build  his  railroad, 
so  that  we  could  all  come  to  Carter  Hall 
for  next  Christmas,  she  adding  gravely  that 
she  really  couldn't  see  any  need  for  the 
[93] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

road's  existence  or  any  hope  of  its  comple 
tion,  although  she  never  said  so  to  dear 
George,  she  being  a  woman  and  not  ex 
pected  to  know  much  of  such  things  ; — 
after,  I  say,  all  these  delightful  speeches 
and  attentions  and  confidences  had  been 
indulged  in,  Aunt  Nancy  bent  her  head3 
turned  her  sweet  face  framed  in  the  lace 
cap  and  ribbons,  first  towards  me  and 
then  back  to  Fitz  again — she  had  been 
talking  to  Fitz  all  this  time,  I  listening — 
and  said  with  the  air  of  a  fairy  godmother 
entertaining  two  children : 

"And  now  I've  got  a  great  Christ 
mas  surprise  for  both  of  you,  and  you 
shall  have  one  guess  apiece  as  to  what 


it  is." 


Fitz,  with    the    memories  of  a  former 
Christmas    at    Carter    Hall   still  fresh    in 
mind,  and  knowing  the  dear  lady's  gener- 
[94] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

osity,  and  having  seen  the  biggest  bundle 
of  feathers  and  the  longest  pair  of  legs  he 
had  ever  laid  his  eyes  on  hanging  head 
down  on  the  measly  wall  of  the  shabby 
yard  as  he  entered,  screwed  up  his  eyes, 
cudgelled  his  brain  by  tapping  his  forehead 
with  his  forefinger,  and  blurted  out : 

"  Wild  turkey  stuffed  with  chestnuts." 

Aunt  Nancy  laughed  until  her  side  curls 
shook. 

"  Oh,  you  dreadful  gourmand  !  Not  a 
bit  like  a  turkey.  How  mortified  you 
will  be  when  you  find  out !  Go  and  stand 
in  the  corner,  sir,  with  your  face  to  the 
wall.  Now,  Major,  it's  your  turn." 

Fitz  began  to  protest  that  he  ought  to 
have  another  chance,  and  that  it  had 
slipped  out  before  he  knew  it,  since  he  had 
never  forgotten  a  brother  of  that  same 
bird,  one  that  he  had  eaten  at  her  own 

[95] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

table  ;  but  the  little  lady  wouldn't  hear  an 
other  syllable,  and  waved  him  away  with 
great  dignity,  whereupon  Fitz  buried  his  fat 
face  in  his  hands,  and  said  that  life  was 
really  not  worth  the  living,  and  that  if 
anybody  would  suggest  a  comfortable  way 
of  committing  suicide  he  would  adopt  it 
at  once. 

When  my  turn  came,  I,  remembering 
the  buttons  on  "  Jeems,"  guessed  a  livery 
for  Chad,  at  which  the  dear  lady  laughed 
more  merrily  than  before,  and  Fitz  re 
marked  in  a  disgusted  tone  that  the  dense 
stupidity  of  some  men  was  one  of  the 
characteristics  of  the  time. 

"  No ;  it's  nothing  to  eat  and  it's  noth 
ing  to  wear.  It's  a  most  charming  young 
lady  who  at  my  earnest  solicitation  has 
consented  to  dine  with  us,  and  to  whom  I 
want  you  two  young  gentlemen  (Fitz  is 
[96] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

forty  if  he's  a  day,  and  looks  it)  to  be 
most  devoted." 

"  Pretty  ? "  asked  Fitz,  pulling  up  his 
collar — prinking  in  mock  vanity. 

"  Yes,  and  better  than  pretty." 

"  Young  ?  "  persisted  Fitz. 

"  Young,  and  most  entertaining." 

"  Now  listen  both  of  you  and  I  will  tell 
you  all  about  it.  She  lives  up  in  one  of 
your  most  desolate  streets,  Lafayette 
Place,  I  think,  they  call  it,  and  in  such  a 
sombre  house  that  it  looks  as  if  the  win 
dows  had  never  been  opened.  Her  mother 
is  dead,  and  such  a  faded,  hopeless-looking 
woman  takes  care  of  the  house,  a  relation 
of  the  father's,  I  understand,  who  is  a  busi 
ness  friend  of  George's,  and  with  whom  he 
tells  me  he  once  had  a  slight  misunderstand 
ing.  George  did  not  want  Christmas  to  pass 
with  these  differences  unsettled,  and  so,  of 

[97] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

course,  I  went  to  call  the  very  day  I  ar 
rived,  and  invited  her  and  her  father  to 
dine  with  us  on  Christmas  Eve.  We  al 
ways  celebrate  our  Christmas  then  as  you 
both  know,  on  account  of  our  old  custom 
of  giving  Christmas  day  to  our  servants. 
And  I  am  so  glad  I  went.  I  did  not,  of 
course,  see  the  father.  Oh,  it  would  make 
your  heart  ache  to  see  the  inside  of  that 
house.  Everything  costly  and  solid,  and 
yet  everything  so  joyless.  I  always  feel 
sorry  for  such  homes, — no  flowers  about, 
no  books  that  are  not  locked  up,  no  knick- 
knacks  nor  pretty  things.  I  hope  you  will 
both  help  me  to  make  her  Christmas  Eve  a 
happy  one.  You  perhaps  may  know  her 
father,  Mr.  Fitzpatrick, — he  is  in  Wall 
Street  I  hear,  and  his  name  is  Klutchem." 
Fitz,  in  his  astonishment,  so  far  forgot 
himself  as  to  indulge  in  a  low  whistle. 

[98] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  Then  you  do  know  him  ? " 

"  Oh,  very  well/' 

"  And  you  tell  me  that  Mr.  Klutchem 
is  really  coming  to  dinner  and  going  to 
bring  his  daughter?"  asked  Fitz,  in  a  tone 
that  made  his  surprise  all  the  more  marked. 

"  Yes ;  George  had  a  note  from  him 
this  morning  saying  his  daughter  would 
be  here  before  dark  and  he  would  come 
direct  from  his  office  and  meet  her  here  in 
time  for  dinner.  Isn't  it  delightful  ?  You 
will  be  quite  charmed  with  our  guest,  I'm 
sure.  And  about  the  father — tell  me 
something  of  him  ?  "  Aunt  Nancy  inquired 
in  her  sweetest  voice. 

"About  Mr.  Klutchem?  Well!  Yes, to 
be  sure.  Why,  Klutchem  !  Yes,  of  course. 
A  most  genial  and  kindly  man,"  answered 
Fitz,  controlling  himself;  "  a  little  eccen 
tric  at  times  I  have  heard,  but  not  more  so 

[99] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

than  most  men  of  his  class.  Not  a  man  of 
much  taste,  perhaps,  but  most  generous. 
Would  give  you  anything  in  the  world  he 
didn't  want,  and  be  so  delighted  when  you 
took  it  off  his  hands.  Insisted  on  giving 
me  a  lot  of  stock  the  other  day,  but  of 
course  I  wouldn't  take  it."  This  was  said 
with  so  grave  a  face  that  its  point  escaped 
the  dear  lady. 

"  How  very  kind  of  him.  Perhaps  that 
is  where  his  daughter  gets  her  charm,"  re 
plied  Aunt  Nancy,  with  a  winning  smile. 

There  is  no  telling  what  additional  men 
dacities  regarding  the  Klutchem  family 
Fitz,  who  had  now  regained  his  equilib 
rium,  would  have  indulged  in,  had  I  not 
knit  my  eyebrows  at  him  behind  Aunt 
Nancy's  back  as  a  warning  to  the  men- 
dacitor  not  to  mislead  the  dear  lady,  whose 
disappointment,  I  knew,  would  only  be 
[  100] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

the  greater  when  she  met  Klutchem  face 
to  face. 

When  I  had  risen  to  take  my  leave  Fitz 
excused  himself  for  a  moment  and  followed 
me  into  the  hall. 

"  Klutchem  coming  to  dinner,  Major, 
and  going  to  bring  his  daughter  ?  What 
the  devil  do  you  think  is  up  ?  If  the 
Colonel  wasn't  so  useless  financially  I'd 
think  Klutchem  had  some  game  up  his 
sleeve.  But  if  that  is  so,  why  bring  his 
daughter  ?  My  lawyer  told  me  to-day 
the  assault  and  battery  case  is  all  settled, 
so  it  can't  be  that.  Wonder  if  the  Colonel 
has  converted  Klutchem  as  to  the  proper 
way  of  running  a  bank  ?  No,  that's  non 
sense  !  Klutchem  would  skin  a  flea  and 
sell  the  tallow,  no  matter  what  the  Colo^ 
nel  said  to  him.  Coming  to  dinner! 
Well,  that  gets  me  !  " 

[101] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

As  I  shut  the  front  door  behind  me  and 
stopped  for  a  minute  on  the  top  step 
overlooking  the  yard,  I  caught  sight  of 
the  grocer  emerging  from  the  tunnel  with 
a  basket  on  his  arm  for  Chad,  who  was 
standing  below  me  outside  his  kitchen 
door  with  the  half-picked  duck  in  his  hand. 
The  settlement  of  "  Misser  Grocerman's  " 
unpaid  accounts  by  Miss  Nancy  on  one 
of  her  former  visits  to  Bedford  Place  had 
worked  a  double  miracle — Chad  no  longer 
feared  the  dispenser  of  fine  wines  and  other 
comforts,  and  the  dispenser  himself  would 
have  emptied  his  whole  shop  into  Chad's 
kitchen  and  waited  months  for  his  pay  had 
that  loyal  old  servant  permitted  it.  This 
was  evident  from  the  way  in  which  Chad 
dropped  the  half-picked  duck  on  a  bench 
beside  the  door  and  hurried  forward  to 
help  unpack  the  basket ;  and  the  deferen- 
[  102] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

tial  smile  on  the  grocer's  face  as  he  took 
out  one  parcel  after  another,  commenting 
on  their  quality  and  cheapness. 

I  had  promised  Chad  to  stop  long 
enough  to  inspect  Miss  Nancy's  "  tarr'- 
pins,"  and  so  I  waited  until  Chad's  duties 
were  over. 

"  That's  the  cheekiest  little  coon  ever 
come  into  the  store,"  I  hear  the  grocer 
say  with  a  laugh.  "  I'd  a-slid  him  out  on 
his  ear  if  he'd  said  much  more." 

Chad  looked  over  his  pile  of  bundles — 
they  lay  up  on  his  arm ;  the  top  one  held 
in  place  by  his  chin — and  asked  with 
some  anxiety : 

«  Who,  Jim  ?     What  did  he  do  ?  " 

"  Do  !  He  waltzed  in  yesterday  after 
noon  with  his  head  up  and  his  under  lip 
sticking  out  as  if  he  owned  the  place. 
When  I  told  him  to  take  the  sugar  back 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

with  him,  he  said  he  wasn't  carrying  no 
bundles  for  nobody,  he  was  waiting  on 
Miss  Carter.  He's  out  at  the  gate 


now." 


"Do  ye  hear  dat,  Major?  Ain't  dat 
'nough  to  make  a  body  sick?  I  been 
'spectin'  dis  ever  since  he  come.  I'm 
gwinter  stop  dis  foolishness  short  off." 

The  old  darky  waited  until  the  grocer 
had  reached  the  street,  then  he  shouted 
into  the  gloom  of  the  narrow  passage  : 

"  Here,  Jim.     Come  here." 

The  scrap  in  buttons  slammed  to  the 
wicket  gate  and  came  running  through 
the  tunnel. 

"  What  you  tell  dat  gemman  yisterday 
when  I  sont  you  for  dat  sugar,  wid  yo'  lip 
stickin'  out  big  'nough  for  a  body  ter  sit 
on?" 

The  boy  hung  his  head. 
[  104] 


The  boy  hung  his  head. 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  You'se  waitin'  on  Miss  Caarter,  is  ye, 
an'  ye  ain't  caarryin'  no  bundles  ?  If  I 
ever  hear  ye  sass  anybody  round  here 
agin,  white  or  black,  I'll  tear  dem  buttons 
off  ye  an*  skin  ye  alive — you'se  caarry 
in'  what  I  send  ye  for — do  ye  hear  dat? 
Free,  is  ye  ?  You'se  free  wid  yo'  sass  an' 
dat's  all  de  freedom  you  got." 

"  I — didn't  know — yer  want  me  ter — 
caa'ry  it  back,"  said  the  boy  in  a  humble 
tone,  but  with  the  twinkle  of  a  smoulder 
ing  coal  in  his  eye. 

"  Ye  didn't  ?  Who  did  ye  think  was 
gwine  ter  caa'ry  it  back  for  ye  ?  Maybe 
it  was  de  Colonel  or  de  Mist'iss  or  me  ?  " 
Chad's  voice  had  now  risen  to  a  high  pitch, 
and  with  a  touch  of  sarcasm  in  it  which 
was  biting.  "Pretty  soon  you'll  'spec' 
somebody  gwine  to  call  for  ye  in  dere 
caa'ridge.  Yo'  idea  o'  freedom  is  to  wait 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

on  nobody  and  hab  no  manners.  What 
ye  got  in  yo'  hand  ?  " 

"  Cigarette  white  boy  gimme," — and  the 
boy  dropped  the  burning  end  on  the  brick 
pavement  of  the  yard. 

"  Dat's  mo'  freedom,  an'  dat's  all  dis  po* 
white  trash  is  gwine  to  do  for  ye — stuffin' 
yo'  head  wid  lies,  an'  yo'  mouf  wid  a  wad 
o'  nastiness.  Now  go  'long  an'  git  yo' 
pan." 

Chad  waited  until  the  boy  had  mounted 
the  steps  and  entered  the  house,  then  he 
turned  to  me. 

"Po'  li'l  chin'ka'pin— he  don't  know 
no  better.  How's  he  gwine  to  git  a 
bringin'  up  ?  Miss  Nancy  tryin'  to  teach 
him,  but  she  ain't  gwine  make  nuffin'  of 
him.  He's  got  pizened  by  dis  freedom 
talk,  an'  he  ain't  gwine  to  git  cured.  Fust 
thing  ye  know  he'll  begin  to  think  he's 
[106] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

good  as  white  folks,  an'  when  he's  got  dat 
in  his  head  he's  done  for.  I'm  gwine  to 
speak  to  de  Mist'iss  'bout  dat  boy,  an' 
see  if  sompin  can't  be  done  to  save  him 
fo'  it  gits  too  late ;  ain't  nuffin'  gwine  to 
do  him  no  good  but  a  barr'l  stave — hear 
dat — a  barr'l  stave  !  " 

The  Colonel  had  come  in  quietly  and 
stood  listening.  I  had  heard  the  click  of 
the  outer  gate,  but  supposed  it  was  the 
grocer  returning  with  the  additional  sup 
plies. 

"  Who's  Chad  goin'  to  thresh,  Major  ?  " 
the  Colonel  asked,  with  a  smile  as  he  put 
his  arm  over  my  shoulder. 

"  Miss  Nancy's  pickaninny,"  I  answered. 

"  What,  little  Jim  ?  "  There  was  a  tone 
of  surprise  now  in  the  Colonel's  voice. 

Chad  stood  abashed  for  a  moment.  He 
had  stowed  away  the  groceries,  and  had 
[  107] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

the  duck    in    his  hand  again,  his    fingers 
fumbling  among  its  feathers. 

"  'Scuse  me,  Colonel,  I  ain't  gwine 
whale  him,  of  co'se,  'thout  yo'  permission, 
but  he's  dat  puffed  up  he'll  bust  fo'  long." 

"  What's  he  been  up  to  P  " 

"  Sassin'  Misser  Grocerman — runnin'  to 
de  gate  wid  his  head  out  like  a  tar'pin's, 
smokin'  dese  yer  paper  seegars  dat  smell 
de  whole  place  up  vill'nous,  'stid  of  waitin' 
on  de  Mist'iss." 

"  And  you  think  beatin'  him  will  do 
him  any  good,  Chad  P  How  many  times 
did  yo'  Marster  John  beat  you  P  " 

Chad  looked  up,  and  a  smile  broke  over 
his  face. 

"  I  don't  reckellmember  airy  lick  de 
Marster  ever  laid  on  me." 

fc  Raised  you  pretty  well,  didn't  he, 
Chad  P  " 

[108] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  Yas,  sah— dat  he  did." 

"  Anybody  beat  you  since  you  grew 
up  ? " 

"  No,  sah." 

"  Pretty  good,  Chad,  ain't  you?  " 

"  I  try  to  be,  sah." 

"  Well  now,  be  a  little  patient  with 
that  boy.  It  isn't  his  fault  that  he's 
sp'ilt;  it's  part  of  the  damnable  system 
this  Gov'ment  has  put  upon  us  since  the 
war.  Am  I  right,  Major  ?" 

I  nodded  assent. 

Chad  pulled  out  a  handful  of  feathers 
from  the  duck,  dropped  them  into  a  barrel 
near  where  we  stood  in  the  yard,  and  said, 
as  if  his  mind  was  finally  made  up  : 

"  Co'se,  Colonel,  I   ain't  nuffin'  to  say 

jes'  'cept  dis.     When  I  was  dat  boy's  age 

I  was  runnin'    'round    barefoot  an'  putty 

nigh  naked,  my  shirt  out  o'  my  pants  haalf 

[  109] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

de  time  ;  but  Marse  John  tuk  care  o'  me, 
an'  when  I  got  hongry  I  knowed  whar  dey 
was  sumpin  to  eat  an'  I  got  it.  Dat  boy 
ain't  had  nobody  take  care  o'  him  till  de 
Mist'iss  tuk  him,  and  haalf  de  time  he 
went  hongry ;  no  manners,  no  bringin'  up 
— runnin'  wid  po'  white  trash,  gittin'  his 
head  full  o'  fool  notions  'stid  o'  waitin'  on 
his  betters.  Now  look  at  him.  Come  in 
yere  yisterday  mornin',  an'  want  borry  my 
bresh  to  black  his  shoes.  Den  he  must 
bresh  his  clothes  wid  yo'  bresh — -yo  bresh, 
mind  you  !  I  cotched  him  at  it.  Den  he 
gits  on  his  toes  an'  squints  at  hisself  in  de 
Mist'iss  glass — I  cotched  him  at  dat,  too 
—an'  he  ugly  as  one  o'  dem  black  tree- 
toads.  You  know  what  done  dat  ?  Dem 
Richmond  clothes  he's  got  on.  I  tell  ye, 
Colonel,  sumpin  gotter  be  done,  or  dem 
buttons  '11  spile  dat  chile." 
[no] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

The  Colonel  laughed  heartily. 

"  What  does  Miss  Nancy  say  about  yo' 
barr'l  stave  ?  " 

"  She  don't  say  nuffin',  'cause  she  don't 
know." 

"  Well,  don't  you  thresh  Jim  till  you 
see  her." 

"  No,  sah." 

"And  Chad?" 

"  Yes,  sah." 

"  When  you  do,  pick  out  a  little  stave. 
Come,  Major,  go  back  with  me  for  just 
ten  minutes  mo'  and  see  the  dea'est 
woman  in  the  world." 


[in] 


THE    day    before    Christmas    was    a 
never-to-be-forgotten  day  in  Bed 
ford  Place.  Great  preparations  were  being 
made  for  the  event  of  the  evening,  and 
everybody  helped. 

Little  Jim  under  the  tutelage  of  Chad, 
and  in  hourly  fear  of  the  promised  thrash 
ing — it  had  never  gone  beyond  the  promise 
since  the  Colonel's  talk — had  so  far  for 
gotten  his  clothes  and  his  dignity  as  to  load 
himself  with  Christmas  greens — one  long 
string  wound  around  his  body  like  a  boa 
constrictor — much  to  the  amusement  of 
the  Colonel,  who  was  looking  out  of  the 
dining-room  window  when  he  emerged 

[112] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

from  the  tunnel.  Aunt  Nancy  went  all 
the  way  to  the  grocery  for  some  big  jars 
for  the  flowers  I  had  sent  her  (not  to  men 
tion  a  bunch  of  roses  of  the  Colonel's)  and 
brought  one  of  the  pots  back  in  her  own 
hand  ;  and  spoke  in  so  low  and  gentle  a 
voice  when  she  purchased  them  that 
everybody  in  the  place  ceased  talking  to 
listen. 

The  Colonel  busied  himself  drawing,  in 
the  most  careful  and  elaborate  manner,  the 
wax-topped  corks  of  certain  be-cobwebbed 
bottles  that  had  been  delivered  the  night 
before  by  no  less  a  person  than  Duncan's 
own  agent,  and  to  one  of  which  was  at 
tached  Fitz's  visiting  card  bearing  his  com 
pliments  and  best  wishes.  The  contents 
of  these  crusted  bottles  the  Colonel  had 
duly  emptied  into  two  cut-glass  decanters 
with  big  stoppers — heirlooms  from  Carter 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Hall — placing  the  decanters  themselves  in 
two  silver  coasters  bearing  the  Coat-of- 
Arms  of  his  family,  and  the  whole  com 
bination  on  the  old-fashioned  sideboard 
which  graced  the  wall  opposite  the  fire 
place.  Chad,  with  the  aid  of  the  grocer, 
had  produced  as  assistant  below  stairs, 
from  a  side  street  behind  Jefferson  Mar 
ket,  a  saddle-colored  female  who  wore 
flowers  in  her  hat,  and  who.,  to  his  infinite 
amusement,  called  him  "Mister." 

"  Can't  do  nothin'  big,  Major,  dis  place's 
so  mighty  small,"  he  called  to  me  from 
his  kitchen  door  as  I  mounted  the  yard 
steps,  "  but  it's  gwine  to  smell  mighty 
good  round  here  'bout  dinner  time." 

Under  the  deft  touches  of  all  these 
willing  hands  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  the  Colonel's  cosy  rooms  developed  a 
quality  unknown  to  them  before,  delightful 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

as  they  had  always  been :  The  table  boasted 
an  extra  leaf  (an  extra  leaf  was  always  ready 
for  use  in  every  dining-room  of  the  Colo 
nel's);  the  candlesticks,  old  family  plate 
and  andirons,  dulled  by  the  winter's  use, 
shone  with  phenomenal  brightness ;  the 
mantel  supported  not  only  half  a  dozen 
bottles  of  claret  (Duncan's  cellars,  Fitz's 
selection)  but  a  heap  of  roses  that  reached 
as  high  as  the  clock,  while  over  the  door, 
around  the  windows  and  high  up  over  the 
two  fireplaces — everywhere,  in  fact,  where 
a  convenient  nail  or  hook  could  be  found 
— were  entwined  in  loops  and  circles,  the 
Christmas  greens  and  holly  berries  that 
little  Jim  had  staggered  under. 

The  crowning  sensation  of  the  coming 
event  stood  in  the  corner  of  the  rear 
room, — a  small  Christmas  tree  grown  in 
the  woods  behind  Carter  Hall.  A  little 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

tree  with  all  its  branches  perfect ;  large 
enough  to  hold  its  complement  of  candles  ; 
small  enough  to  stand  in  the  centre  of  the 
table  within  reach  of  everybody's  hand. 
Aunt  Nancy  had  picked  it  out  herself. 
She  must  always  respect  the  sentiment. 
No  bought  tree  would  do  for  her  on  such 
an  occasion.  It  must  be  to  the  manor 
born,  nourished  in  her  own  soil,  warmed 
by  the  same  sun  and  watered  by  the  same 
rains.  The  bringing  of  a  tree  from  her 
own  home  at  Carter  Hall  to  cheer  the 
Colonel's  temporary  resting  place  in  Bed 
ford  Place,  was  to  her  like  the  bringing 
of  a  live  coal  from  old  and  much  loved 
embers  with  which  to  start  a  fire  on  a 
new  hearth. 

These  several  preparations  complete — 
and  it  was  quite  late  in  the  day  when  they 
were  complete  (in  the  twilight  really) — 
[116] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Chad  threw  a  heap  of  wood  beside  the 
fireplace,  brushed  the  hearth  of  its  ashes, 
laid  a  pile  of  India  Blue  plates  in  front  of 
its  cheery  blaze  (no  crime,  the  Colonel 
often  said,  was  equal  to  putting  a  hot  duck 
on  a  cold  plate),  placed  the  Colonel's  chair 
in  position,  arranged  a  cushion  in  Aunt 
Nancy's  empty  rocker;  gave  a  few  finishing 
touches  to  the  table ;  stopped  a  moment 
in  the  kitchen  below  to  give  some  instruc 
tions  to  the  saddle-colored  female  as  to 
the  length  of  time  a  canvas-back  should  re 
main  in  the  oven,  and  stepped  back  into  his 
little  room,  there  to  array  himself  in  white 
jacket  and  gloves,  the  latter  tucked  into 
his  outside  pocket  ready  for  instant  use. 

During  these  final  preparations  the 
Colonel  was  upstairs  donning  a  costume 
befitting  the  occasion — snow-white  waist 
coat,  white  scarf  and  patent-leather  pumps, 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

with  little  bows  over  the  toes,  limp  as  a 
poodle's  ears,  and  his  time-honored  coat, 
worn  wide  open  of  course,  the  occasion 
being  one  of  great  joyousness  and  good 
cheer.  These  necessities  of  toilet  over, 
the  Colonel  descended  the  narrow  stair 
case,  threw  wide  the  dining-room  door, 
shook  me  cordially  by  the  hand  with  the 
manner  of  a  man  welcoming  a  distin 
guished  guest  whom  he  had  not  seen 
for  years  (I  had  just  arrived) ;  bowed  to 
Chad  as  if  he  had  been  one  of  a  long  line 
of  servants  awaiting  the  coming  of  their 
lord  (festive  occasions  always  produced 
this  frame  of  mind  in  the  Colonel) ;  laid 
a  single  white  rose  beside  the  plates  of  his 
two  lady  guests — one  for  Miss  Carter  and 
the  other  for  Miss  Klutchem — and  glanc 
ing  around  the  apartment  expressed  his 
admiration  of  all  that  had  been  done. 
[118] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Then  he  settled  himself  in  his  easy  chair, 
with  his  feet  on  the  fender,  and  spread  his 
moist,  newly-washed  hands  to  the  blaze. 

Aunt  Nancy  now  entered  in  a  steel-grey 
silk  and  new  cap  and  ribbons,  her  deli 
cate,  frail  shoulders  covered  by  a  light 
scarf,  little  Jim  following  behind  her  with 
her  ball  of  yarn  and  needles,  and  a  low 
stool  for  her  feet.  The  only  change  in 
Jim  was  a  straggly  groove  down  the  mid 
dle  of  his  wool,  where  he  had  attempted 
a  «  part "  like  Chad's. 

"Fin  glad  Mr.  Klutchem  is  comin', 
Nancy,"  said  the  Colonel  when  the  dear 
lady  had  taken  her  seat  with  Jim  behind 
her  chair.  "  From  what  you  tell  me  of 
his  home  I'm  afraid  that  he  must  pass  a 
great  many  lonely  hours.  And  then  again 
I  cannot  forget  his  generosity  to  a  friend 
of  mine  once  in  his  hour  of  trial." 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  What  was  the  trouble  between  you 
and  Mr.  Klutchem,  George  ?  "  she  asked 
in  reply,  spreading  out  her  skirts  and 
taking  the  knitting  from  Jim's  hands. 

The  Colonel  hesitated  and  for  a  mo 
ment  did  not  answer.  Aunt  Nancy  raised 
her  eyes  to  his  and  waited. 

"  I  diffe'ed  from  him  on  the  value  of 
some  securities,  Nancy,  and  for  a  time  the 
argument  became  quite  heated." 

"And  it  left  some  ill-feeling  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no ;  on  the  contrary,  it  seemed 
to  open  a  way  for  an  important  settlement 
in  a  friend's  affairs  which  may  have  the 
best  and  most  lastin'  results.  I  believe  I 
am  quite  within  the  mark,  Major,  when  I 
make  that  statement/'  added  the  Colonel, 
turning  to  me. 

"  No  doubt  of  it,  Colonel,"  I  answered. 
"  That  same  friend  told  me  that  he  hadn't 
[  120] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

enjoyed  anything  so  much  for  years  as 
Mr.  Klutchem's  visit  to  his  office  that 
morning." 

"  Well,  I  am  so  glad,"  said  Aunt  Nancy 
— "  so  glad  !"  The  «  friend's  "  name  had 
been  too  obviously  concealed  by  both  the 
Colonel  and  myself  for  her  to  press  any 
inquiries  in  that  direction.  "  And  you 
have  not  seen  the  daughter  ?  "  She  con 
tinued. 

"  No,  Mr.  Klutchem  was  ill  at  a  friend's 
house  when  I  called  on  him  once  befo', 
and  his  family  were  not  in  the  room.  I 
shall  have  that  pleasure  for  the  first  time 
when  she  arrives." 

Chad  now  entered,  bowed  low  to  his 
Mistress,  his  invariable  custom,  and 
began  to  light  the  candles  on  the  mantel 
piece  and  sideboard,  and  then  those  in  the 
two  big  silver  candlesticks  which  decorated 

[12!] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

each  end  of  the  table,  with  its  covers  for 
six.  Little  Jim  still  stood  behind  his  Miss 
Nancy's  chair :  he  was  not  to  be  trusted 
with  any  of  Chad's  important  duties. 

There  came  a  knock  at  the  door. 

"  That's  dear  Fitz,"  said  the  Colonel. 
"  He  promised  to  come  early." 

Chad  looked  meaningly  at  the  scrap, 
and  little  Jim,  in  answer  to  the  sound  of 
Fitz's  knuckles,  left  the  room,  picking  up 
his  "  pan "  from  the  hall  table  as  he 
answered  the  summons. 

At  this  moment  the  dear  lady  dropped 
her  ball  of  yarn,  and  the  Colonel  and  I 
stooped  down  to  recover  it.  This  was  a 
duty  from  which  even  Chad  was  relieved 
when  either  of  us  was  present.  While 
we  were  both  on  our  knees  groping  around 
the  legs  of  the  sideboard,  the  door  opened 
softly,  and  a  sweet,  low  voice  said  : 
[122] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  Please,  I'm  Katy  Klutchem,  and  I've 
come  to  the  Christmas  Tree." 

The  Colonel  twisted  his  head  quickly. 

A  little  girl  of  six  or  eight,  her  chubby 
cheeks  aglow  with  the  cold  of  the  winter 
twilight,  a  mass  of  brown  curls  escaping 
from  her  hat  framing  a  pretty  face,  stood 
looking  at  him — he  was  still  on  his  knees 
— with  wide,  wondering  eyes.  He  had 
expected  to  welcome  a  young  woman  of 
twenty,  he  told  me  afterwards,  not  a  child. 
Aunt  Nancy  inadvertently,  perhaps,  or 
because  she  supposed  he  knew,  had  omit 
ted  any  reference  to  her  age.  I,  too,  had 
fallen  into  the  same  error. 

The  dear  lady  without  rising  from  her 
seat  held  out  her  two  hands  joyously  : 

"  Oh,  you  darling  little  thing  !  Come 
here  until  I  take  off  your  hat  and  coat." 

The  Colonel  had  now  risen  to  his  feet, 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

the  ball  of  yarn  in  his  hand,  his  eyes  still 
on  the  apparition.  No  child  had  ever 
stepped  foot  inside  the  cosy  quarters  since 
his  occupation.  Katy  returned  his  gaze 
with  that  steadfast,  searching  look  com 
mon  to  some  children,  summing  up  by 
intuition  the  dangers  and  the  man.  Then, 
with  her  face  breaking  into  a  smile  at  the 
Colonel,  she  started  towards  Aunt  Nancy. 

But  the  Colonel  had  come  to  his  senses 
now. 

"  So  you  are  not  a  grown-up  lady  at 
all,"  he  cried,  with  a  joyous  note  in  his 
voice,  as  he  advanced  towards  her,  "  but 
just  a  dear  little  girl." 

"  Why,  did  you  think  I  was  grown-up  ? 
I'm  only  seven.  Oh,  what  a  nice  room, 
and  is  the  Christmas  tree  here  ? " 

"  It  is  not  lighted  yet,  dearie,"  replied 
Aunt  Nancy,  her  fingers  busy  with  the  top 


"Please.    I'm   Katy  Klutchem,   and  I've  come  fur  the  Christmas  tree.' 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

button  of  the  child's  cloak,  the  eager,  ex 
pectant  face  twisted  around  as  if  she  was 
looking  for  something.  "  It's  over  there 
in  the  corner." 

"  Let  me  show  it  to  you/'  said  the  Colo 
nel,  and  he  took  her  hand.  "  Major, 
please  bring  one  of  the  candles." 

The  child's  eyes  sought  the  Colonel's 
face.  The  first  look  she  had  given  him  as 
she  entered  the  room  had  settled  all  doubt 
in  her  mind ;  children  know  at  a  glance 
whom  they  can  trust. 

"  Please  do,"  she  answered  simply,  and 
her  grasp  closed  over  his.  The  cloak  and 
hat  were  off  now,  and  Jim  was  bearing 
them  upstairs  to  be  laid  on  Miss  Nancy's 
bed. 

As  the  small,  frail  hand  touched  his 
own  I  saw  a  strange  look  come  into  the 
Colonel's  eyes.  It  was  evidently  all  he 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

could  do  to  keep  from  stooping  down  and 
kissing  her. 

Instinctively  my  mind  went  back  to  a 
night  not  long  before  when  I  had  found 
him  sitting  by  his  fire.  "  There  is  but 
one  thing  in  all  the  world,  Major,"  he 
said  to  me  then,  "sweeter  than  the  song 
of  a  robin  in  the  spring,  and  that  is  the 
laughter  of  a  child." 

I  knew  therefore,  as  I  looked  at  these 
two,  what  the  little  hand  that  lay  in  his 
meant  to  him. 

So  I  held  the  candle  and  the  Colonel 
lighted  the  tip  end  of  just  one  tiny  taper 
to  show  her  how  it  burned,  and  what  a 
pretty  light  it  made  shining  through  the 
green ;  and  Katy  clapped  her  hands  and 
said  it  was  beautiful,  and  such  a  darling 
little  tree,  and  not  at  all  like  the  big  one 
in  the  Sunday  School  that  reached  nearly 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

to  the  ceiling,  and  that  nobody  dared  to 
touch.  And  then  we  all  went  back  to  the 
fire  and  the  Colonel's  chair,  and  before 
I  knew  it  he  had  her  by  his  side  with  his 
arm  around  her  shoulders,  telling  her  sto 
ries,  while  Aunt  Nancy  and  Jim  and  I  sat 
listening. 

And  so  absorbed  was  he  in  the  new  life, 
and  so  happy  with  the  child,  that  he  only 
gave  Fitz  three  fingers  to  shake  when  that 
friend  of  his  heart  came  in,  and  never  once 
said  he  was  glad  to  see  him — an  unpre 
cedented  omission — and  never  once  made 
the  slightest  allusion  to  the  expected  guest 
of  the  evening,  Mr.  Klutchem,  now  that 
his  daughter  had  turned  out  to  be  a  child 
of  seven  instead  of  a  full-grown  woman  of 
twenty. 

The  Colonel  told  her  of  the  great  woods 
behind  Carter  Hall,  where  the  Christmas 
[  127] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

tree  had  grown,  and  the  fox  with  the  white 
tail  that  lived  there,  and  that  used  to  pop 
into  his  hole  in  the  snow,  and  how  you'd 
pass  right  by  and  never  see  him  because 
his  tail,  which  was  the  biggest  part  of  him, 
was  so  white ;  and  the  woodpeckers  that 
bored  into  the  bark  with  their  long,  sharp 
bills ;  and  finally  of  the  big  turkeys  that 
strutted  and  puffed  their  feathers  and 
spread  their  tails  about  and  ran  so  fast 
nothing  could  catch  them. 

"Not  even  a  dog?"  interrupted  the 
child.  She  had  crawled  up  into  his  arms 
now  and  was  looking  up  into  his  face  with 
wondering  eyes. 

"  Dogs ! "  answered  the  Colonel  con 
temptuously,  "  why,  these  turkeys  would 
be  up  and  gone  befo'  a  dog  could  turn 
'round." 

"Tell   me  what  they  are  like.     Have 
[128] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

they  long  —  long  legs  —  so?"  and  she 
stretched  out  her  arms. 

"  Oh,  longer — terrible  long  legs — long 
as  this" — and  the  Colonel's  arms  went 
out  to  their  full  length. 

Jim's  eyes  were  now  popping  out  of  his 
head,  but  his  place  was  behind  his  Mis 
tress's  chair,  ready  for  her  orders,  and  he 
had  had  so  many  scoldings  that  day  that 
he  thought  it  best  not  to  move. 

"  And  does  he  puff  himself  out  like  a 
real  turkey  in  the  picture  books  ?  " 

"  Oh,  worse  than  a  real  turkey, — big  as 
so  " — and  the  Colonel's  arms  went  round 
in  a  circle. 

The  child  thought  hard  for  a  moment 
until  she  had  the  picture  of  the  strutting 
gobbler  fastened  in  her  mind,  and  said, 
cuddling  closer  to  the  Colonel :  "  Tell  me 


some  more." 


[129] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"About  turkeys?" 

"Yes,  about  turkeys." 

"  About  wild  ones  or  tame  ones  ?  " 

"Was  that  a  wild  one  that  the  dogs 
couldn't  catch  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then  tell  me  about  some  tame  ones. 
Do  they  live  in  the  woods  ?  " 

"  No,  they  live  in  the  barnyard  with 
the  chickens,  and  the  cows,  and  the 
horses.  Why,  did  you  never  see  one  ? " 

"  Yes,  but  I  want  to  hear  you  tell  about 
them — that's  better  than  seeing." 

Jim  could  hold  in  no  longer.  He  had 
become  so  excited  that  he  kept  rubbing 
one  shoe  against  the  other,  twisting  and 
squirming  like  an  eel.  At  last  he  burst  out : 

"An*  one  ol'  gobble-gobble  was  dat 
ornery,  Mammy  Henny  shut  him  up  in 
de  coop ! " 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Aunt  Nancy  turned  in  astonishment, 
and  Chad,  who  had  come  in  with  some 
dishes,  was  about  to  crush  him  with  a  look, 
when  the  Colonel  said,  with  a  sly  twinkle 
in  his  eye : 

"What  did  he  do,  Jim?" 

"  Jes'  trompled  de  li'l  teeny  chickens 
an*  eat  up  all  de  corn  an*  wouldn't  let  no 
body  come  nigh  him.  An*  he  was  dat 
swelled  up ! " 

Katy  laughed,  and  turning  to  the  Colo- 
nel,  said : 

"  Tell  me  about  that  one." 

The  Colonel  ruminated  for  a  moment, 
looked  at  Chad  with  a  half-humorous  ex 
pression,  and  motioned  to  little  Jim  to 
come  over  and  stand  by  his  chair  so  that 
he  could  hear  the  better,  his  own  arm  still 
about  Katy,  her  head  on  his  shoulder. 

"About   that   big   gobbler,  Katy,  that 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

was  so  bad  they  had  to  put  him  in  a 
coop  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  very  one." 

"  Well,  when  I  fust  knew  him  he  was  a 
little  teeny  turkey — oh,  not  near  so  high 
as  Jim  ;  'bout  up  to  Jim's  knees,  I  reckon. 
He'd  follow  'round  after  his  mammy  and 
go  where  she  wanted  him  to  go  and  mind 
her  like  a  nice  little  turkey  as  he  was.  He 
didn't  live  on  my  plantation  then — he 
lived  on  Judge  Harbour's  plantation  next 
to  mine.  Well,  one  day,  Aunt  Nancy — 
that  dear  lady  over  there — wanted  a  fine 
young  turkey,  and  this  little  knee-high 
turkey  was  growin'  to  be  a  big  turkey,  and 
so  she  brought  him  over  and  gave  him 
the  run  of  the  barnyard. 

"  She  was  just  as  good  to  him  as  she 
could  be.  She  made  a  nice  clean  place 
for  him  to  live  in,  so  his  feathers  wouldn't 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

get  dirty  any  mo',  and  he  didn't  have  to 
run  'round  lookin*  for  grasshoppers  and 
beetles  and  little  worms  as  he  did  at  home, 
but  he  had  a  nice  bowl  of  mush  eve'y  day 
and  a  place  to  go  to  sleep  in  all  by  himself, 
and  Aunt  Nancy  did  everythin'  she  could 
to  make  him  comfortable. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  think  happened  ? 
Just  as  soon  as  that  turkey  found  out  he 
was  bein'  taken  caare  of  better  than  the 
hens  and  the  roosters  and  all  the  other  little 
turkeys  he  had  left  at  home,  he  began  to 
put  on  airs.  He  breshed  his  feathers  out 
and  he  strutted  around  same  as  if  he 
owned  the  whole  barnyard,  and  he'd  go 
down  to  the  pond  and  look  at  himself  in 
the  water ;  and  he  got  so  proud  that 
whenever  old  Mrs.  Hen  or  old  Mr, 
Rooster  would  say  c  Good  mornin' '  to 
him  as  kind  and  as  nice  as  could  be,  he 

[133] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

wouldn't  answer  politely,  but  he'd  stick 
up  his  head  and  go  c  Gobble-gobble-gob 
ble  ! '  and  then  he'd  swell  up  again  and 
puff  out  his  chest  and  march  himself  off. 
Pretty  soon  he  got  so  sassy  that  nobody 
could  live  with  him.  Why,  he  didn't  care 
what  he  did  and  who  he  stepped  on.  He 
trampled  on  two  poJ  little  chicks  one  day 
that  were  just  out  of  the  shell  and  mashed 
them  flat  and  did  all  sorts  of  dreadful 
things." 

"  What  an  awful  turkey  !  Poor  little 
chickens,"  sighed  Katy.  "  Go  on." 

"  Next  thing  he  did  was  to  steal  off  and 
smoke  cigarettes." 

Katy  raised  her  head  and  looked  up  into 
the  Colonel's  eyes. 

"Why,  turkeys  can't  smoke,  can 
they  ? " 

"  Oh,    no  —  of    co'se    not  —  I    forgot. 

[134] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

That's  another  story  and  I  got  them 
mixed  up.  Where  was  I  ?  Oh,  yes, 
when  he  got  so  sassy." 

Katy  dropped  her  head  on  his  shoulder 
again.  Jim  was  now  listening  with  all  his 
might,  his  only  fear  being  that  Chad  or 
Miss  Nancy  or  the  knocker  on  the  front 
door  would  summon  him  before  the  story 
was  ended. 

"  Well,"  continued  the  Colonel,  "  that 
went  on  and  on  and  on  till  there  wasn't 
any  livin'  with  him.  Even  dear  Aunt 
Nancy  couldn't  get  along  with  him,  which 
is  a  dreadful  thing  to  say  of  anybody.  So 
one  day "  —  here  the  Colonel's  voice 
dropped  to  a  tone  of  grave  importance — 
"one  day — Mammy  Henny — that's  the 
wife  of  Chad  over  there  by  the  table,  crep' 
up  behind  this  wicked,  sassy  little  turkey, 
when  he  was  swellin'  around  so  big  he 

[135] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

couldn't  see  his  feet,  and  she  grabbed  him 
by  the  neck  and  two  legs,  and  befo'  he 
knew  where  he  was,  plump  he  went  into  a 
big  coop,  and  the  door  was  shut  tight.  He 
hollered  and  squawked  and  flapped  his 
wings  terrible,  but  that  didn't  make  any 
difFence ;  in  he  went  and  there  he  stayed. 
He  pushed  with  his  long  legs,  and  stuck 
his  head  out  through  the  slats,  and  did  all 
he  could  to  get  out,  but  it  was  no  use. 
Next  day  Mammy  Henny  got  a  great  big 
knife — oh,  an  awful  long  knife " 

"  How  long  ?  "  asked  the  child. 

"  Oh,  a  dreadful  long  knife — 'most  as 
long  as  Jim,  here" — and  the  Colonel  laid 
his  hand  on  the  boy's  shoulder — "  and  she 
sharpened  it  on  a  big  grindstone,  and 
Mammy  Henny  put  some  corn  in  the 
little  trough  outside  the  slats,  and  when 
this  bad,  wicked  turkey  poked  his  head  out 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

-WHACK— went  the  knife,  and  off  went 
his  head,  and  he  was  dead— dead — dead  !  " 
As  the  solemn  words  fell  from  his  lips, 
the  Colonel  broke  into  a  laugh,  and  in  a 
burst  of  tenderness  threw  his  arms  around 
the  child  and  kissed  her  as  if  he  would  like 
to  eat  her  up. 

Katy  was  clapping  her  hands  now. 
"  Oh,  I'm  just  too  glad.    And  the  poor 
little  chickies — served  him  just  right.      I 
was  afraid  he'd  get  out  and  run  away." 

The  Colonel  stole  a  look  at  Jim.  The 
scrap  stood  looking  into  the  fire,  a  won 
dering  expression  on  his  face.  How  much 
of  the  story  was  truth  and  how  much  fic 
tion  evidently  puzzled  Jim. 

During    the  telling  everybody   in    the 

room,  Fitz,  Miss  Nancy — all  of  us,  in  fact, 

— had  been  watching  Katy's  delight  and 

Jim's  eager  brown  face,  turned  to  the  Colo- 

[137] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

nel,  the  whites  of  his  eyes  big  as  saucers. 
Watching,  too,  the  Colonel's  impartial 
manner  to  both  of  his  listeners — black  and 
white  alike  —  the  only  distinction  being 
that  the  black  boy  stood,  while  the  white 
child  lay  nestled  in  his  arms. 

Chad,  as  the  story  progressed,  had  crept 
up  behind  the  Colonel's  chair,  where  he 
could  hear  without  being  seen,  and  was 
listening  as  eagerly  as  if  he  were  a  boy 
again.  He  had  often  told  me  that  his 
old  master,  the  Colonel's  father,  used  to 
tell  him  and  the  Colonel  stories  when  they 
were  boys  together,  but  I  had  never  seen 
the  Colonel  in  the  role  before. 

When  the  allusion  to  the  cigarettes 
escaped  the  Colonel's  lips  a  smile  over 
spread  Chad's  visage,  and  a  certain  tri 
umphant  look  crept  into  his  eyes.  With 
the  child's  laughter  still  ringing  through 
[138] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

the  room,  Chad  tapped  Jim  on  the  arm, 
led  him  to  one  side,  held  his  lean,  wrinkled 
finger  within  an  inch  of  the  boy's  nose  and 
said  in  a  sepulchral  tone  : 

"  Did  ye  hear  dat  ?  Do  ye  know  who 
dat  sassy,  low-lived,  mizzable,  no-count, 
ornery  turkey  was,  dat  kep'  a-swellin'  up, 
thinkin'  he  was  free  an1  somebody  great 
till  dat  caarvin'  knife  tuk  his  head  off? 


In  the  midst  of  this  scene,  Katy  still  in 
the  Colonel's  arms,  Aunt  Nancy  knitting 
quietly,  talking  to  Fitz  in  an  undertone, 
and  I  forming  part  of  the  circle  around 
the  fire,  watching  the  Colonel's  delight  and 
joy  over  his  new  guest  —  the  dining-room 
door  was  pushed  open,  and  Mr.  Klutchem 
stepped  in. 

"  I  found  the  outside  door  ajar,  Colo- 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

nel,"  he  blurted  out,  "  and  heard  you  all 
laughing,  and  so  I  just  walked  in.  Been 
here  long,  Katy  ?  " 

For  an  instant  I  was  sorry  he  had  come ; 
it  was  like  the  dropping  of  a  stone  into  a 
still  pool. 

The  child  slid  out  from  the  Colonel's 
lap,  with  an  expression  on  her  face  as  if 
she  had  been  caught  in  some  act  she 
should  be  ashamed  of,  and  stood  close  to 
the  Colonel's  chair,  as  if  for  protection. 
Aunt  Nancy,  Fitz,  and  I  rose  to  our  feet 
to  welcome  the  newcomer.  The  Colo 
nel,  having  to  pull  himself  out  from  the 
depths  of  his  chair,  was  the  last  to  rise. 
He  had  been  so  absorbed  in  the  child  that 
he  had  entirely  forgotten  both  the  father 
and  the  dinner.  It,  however,  never  took 
the  Colonel  long  to  recover  his  equilibrium 
where  a  matter  of  courtesy  was  concerned. 
[  140] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Klutchem,"  he  cried, 
throwing  out  his  chest,  and  extending  his 
hand  graciously.  "  This  is,  indeed,  a 
pleasure.  Permit  me  to  present  you  to 
my  aunt,  Miss  Caarter,  of  Virginia,  who 
has  left  her  home  to  gladden  our  Christ 
mas  with  her  presence.  The  gentlemen, 
of  co'se,  you  already  know.  Yo'  little 
daughter,  suh,  is  a  perfect  sunbeam.  She 
has  so  crept  into  our  hearts  that  we  feel  as 

if  we  never  wanted  her  to  leave  us " 

and  he  laid  his  hand  on  the  child's 
head. 

The  banker  shook  hands  with  Aunt 
Nancy,  remarked  that  he  was  sorry  he  had 
not  been  at  home  when  she  called,  ex 
tended  the  same  five  fingers  to  me,  and 
again  in  turn  to  Fitz,  and  sat  down  on  the 
edge  of  a  chair  which  Jim  had  dragged  up 
for  him.  Katy  walked  over  and  stood  by 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

her  father's  knee.  Her  holiday  seemed 
over. 

"  Rather  sharp  weather,  isn't  it  ?  "  Mr. 
Klutchem  began,  rubbing  his  hands  and 
looking  about  him.  He  had  not  forgot 
ten  the  cheeriness  of  the  rooms  the  day 
of  his  first  visit ;  in  their  holiday  attire 
they  were  even  more  delightful.  "  1  sup 
pose,  Colonel,  you  don't  have  such  weath 
er  in  your  State,"  he  continued. 

The  Colonel,  who  was  waiting  for  a  cue 
— any  cue  served  the  Colonel,  weather, 
politics,  finance,  everything  but  morals 
and  gossip,  these  he  never  discussed, 
launched  out  in  his  inimitable  way  describ 
ing  the  varied  kinds  of  weather  indigenous 
to  his  part  of  the  State :  the  late  spring 
frosts  with  consequent  damage  to  the 
peach  crop ;  the  heat  of  summer  ;  the  ice 
storms  and  the  heavy  falls  of  soft  snow 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

that  were  gone  by  mid-day;  the  banker 
describing  in  return  the  severities  of  the 
winters  in  Vermont,  his  own  State,  and  the 
quality  of  the  farming  land  which,  he  said, 
with  a  dry  laugh,  often  raised  four  stone 
fences  to  the  acre,  and  sometimes  five. 

Before  the  two  had  talked  many  min 
utes  I  saw  to  my  delight  that  the  waters 
of  the  deep  pool  which  I  feared  had  be 
come  permanently  troubled  by  the  sudden 
arrival  of  the  broker,  were  assuming  their 
former  tranquil  condition.  Aunt  Nancy 
resumed  her  knitting,  awaiting  the  time 
when  Chad  should  announce  dinner. 
Katy,  finding  that  her  father  had  no  im 
mediate  use  for  her — not  an  unusual  expe 
rience  with  Katy — moved  off  and  stood 
by  Aunt  Nancy,  watching  the  play  of  her 
needles,  the  dear  lady  talking  to  her  in  a 
low  voice,  while  Fitz  and  I  put  our  heads 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

together,  and  with  eyes  and  ears  open,  fol 
lowed  with  close  attention  the  gradual 
thawing  out  of  the  hard  ice  of  the  prac 
tical  man  of  affairs  under  the  warm  sun 
of  the  Colonel's  hospitality. 

Soon  the  long  expected  hour  arrived,  a 
fact  made  known  first  by  the  saddle-colored 
female  to  Jim  standing  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs,  and  who  promptly  conveyed  it  to 
Chad's  ear  in  a  whisper  that  was  heard  all 
over  the  room,  and  finally  by  Chad  him 
self,  who  announced  the  welcome  news  to 
Miss  Nancy  with  a  flourish  that  would 
have  done  credit  to  the  master  of  cere 
monies  at  a  Lord  Mayor's  banquet;  draw 
ing  out  a  chair  for  her  on  the  right  of  the 
Colonel,  another  on  his  left  for  Mr. 
Klutchem,  and  a  third  for  Miss  Klutch- 
em,  who  was  seated  between  Fitz  and  me. 
He  then  stationed  Jim,  now  thoroughly 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 


re- 


humbled  by  the  chastening  he  had 
ceived,  at  the  door  in  the  hall  to  keep 
open  an  unbroken  line  of  communication 
between  the  fragrant  kitchen  below  and 
the  merry  table  above. 

The  seating  of  the  guests  brought  the 
cosy  circle  together — and  what  a  picture 
it  was :  The  radiance  of  Aunt  Nancy's 
face  as  she  talked  to  one  guest  and  an 
other,  twisting  her  head  like  a  wren's  to 
see  Mr.  Klutchem  the  better  when  the 
Colonel  stood  up  to  carve  the  ducks ;  and 
the  benignant,  patriarchal,  bless-you-my- 
children  smile  that  kept  irradiating  the 
Virginian's  visage  as,  knife  in  hand,  he 
descanted  on  the  various  edibles  and 
drinkables  that  made  his  native  County  a 
rare  place  to  be  born  in ;  and  Mr.  Klutch- 
em's  quiet,  absorbed  manner,  so  different 
from  his  boisterous  outbreaks  —  a  fact 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

which  astonished  Fitz  most  of  all ;  and 
Katy's  unrestrained  laughter  breaking  in 
at  all  times  like  a  bird's,  and  Chad's  beam 
ing  face  and  noiseless  tread,  taking  the 
dishes  from  Jim's  hands  as  carefully  as 
an  antiquary  would  so  many  curios,  and 
placing  them  without  a  sound  before  his 
master — yes,  all  these  things  indeed  made 
a  picture  that  could  never  be  forgotten. 

As  to  the  quality  and  toothsomeness 
of  the  several  and  various  dishes — roast, 
broiled,  and  baked — that  kept  constantly 
arriving,  there  was,  there  could  be,  but 
one  opinion : 

Nobody  had  ever  seen  such  oysters ; 
nobody  had  ever  eaten  such  terrapin  ! 
Nobody  had  ever  tasted  such  ducks  ! — so 
Mr.  Klutchem  said,  and  he  ought  to  have 
known,  for  he  had  the  run  of  the  Clubs. 
Nobody  had  crunched  such  celery  nor 
[146] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

had  revelled  in  such  sweet  potatoes ;  nor 
had  anybody  since  the  beginning  of  the 
world  ever  smacked  their  lips  over  such  a 
ham. 

"  One  of  our  razor-backs,  Mr.  Klutch- 
em,"  said  the  Colonel ;  "  fed  on  acorns, 
and  so  thin  that  he  can  jump  through  a 
palin'  fence  and  never  lose  a  hair.  When 
a  pig  down  our  way  gets  so  fat  that  a 
darky  can  catch  him,  we  have  no  use  for 
him  " — and  the  Colonel  laughed — a  laugh 
which  was  echoed  in  a  suppressed  grin  by 
Chad,  the  witticism  not  being  intended  for 
him. 

Soon  there  stole  over  every  one  in  the 
room  that  sense  of  peace  and  contentment 
which  always  comes  when  one  is  at  ease 
in  an  atmosphere  where  love  and  kind 
ness  reign.  The  soft  light  of  the  candles, 
the  low,  rich  color  of  the  simple  room 

[147] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

with  its  festoons  of  cedar  and  pine,  the 
aroma  of  the  rare  wine,  and  especially  the 
spicy  smell  of  the  hemlock  warmed  by 
the  burning  tapers — that  rare,  unmistak 
able  smell  which  only  Christmas  greens 
give  out  and  which  few  of  us  know  but 
once  a  year,  and  often  not  then;  all  had 
their  effect  on  host  and  guests.  Katy  be 
came  so  happy  that  she  lost  all  fear  of  her 
father  and  prattled  on  to  Fitz  and  me 
(we  had  pinned  to  her  frock  the  rose  the 
Colonel  had  bought  for  the  "grown-up 
daughter,"  and  she  was  wearing  it  just  as 
Aunt  Nancy  wore  hers),  and  Aunt  Nancy 
in  her  gentle  voice  talked  finance  to  Mr. 
Klutchem  in  a  way  that  made  him  open 
his  eyes,  and  Fitz  laughingly  joined  in, 
giving  a  wide  berth  to  anything  bearing 
on  "corners"  or  "combinations"  or 
"shorts"  and  "longs,"  while  I,  to  spare 
[148] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

Aunt  Nancy,  kept  one  eye  on  Jim,  wink 
ing  at  him  with  it  once  or  twice  when  he 
was  about  to  commit  some  foolishness, 
and  so  the  happy  feast  went  on. 

As  to  the  Colonel,  he  was  never  in  bet 
ter  form.  To  him  the  occasion  was  the 
revival  of  the  old  Days  of  Plenty — the 
days  his  soul  coveted  and  loved :  his  to 
enjoy,  his  to  dispense. 

But  if  it  had  been  delightful  before, 
what  was  it  when  Chad,  after  certain  mys 
terious  movements  in  the  next  room,  bore 
aloft  the  crowning  glory  of  the  evening, 
and  placed  it  with  all  its  candles  in  the  cen 
tre  of  the  table,  the  Colonel  leaning  far 
back  in  his  chair  to  give  him  room,  his 
coat  thrown  wide,  his  face  aglow,  his  eyes 
sparkling  with  the  laughter  that  always 
kept  him  young  ! 

Then  it  was  that  the  Colonel  gathering 
[H9] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

under  his  hand  the  little  sheaf  of  paper 
lamplighters  which  Chad  had  twisted,  rose 
from  his  seat,  picked  up  a  slender  glass  that 
had  once  served  his  father  ("  only  seben  o' 
dat  kind  left,"  Chad  told  me)  and  which 
that  faithful  servitor  had  just  filled  from 
the  flow  of  the  old  decanter  of  like  period, 
and  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  as  if  to  com 
mand  attention,  said,  in  a  clear,  firm  voice 
that  indicated  the  dignity  of  the  occasion : 
"  My  friends, — my  *uehy  dear  friends,  I 
should  say,  for  I  can  omit  none  of  you — 
certainly  not  this  little  angel  who  has  cap 
tured  our  hearts,  and  surely  not  our  dis 
tinguished  guest,  Mr.  Klutchem,  who  has 
honored  us  with  his  presence — befo'  I 
kindle  with  the  torch  of  my  love  these 
little  beacons  which  are  to  light  each  one 
of  us  on  our  way  until  another  Christmas 
season  overtakes  us ;  befo/  I  say,  these 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

sparks  burst  into  life,  I  want  you  to  fill 
yo'  glasses  (Chad  had  done  that  to  the 
brim  —  even  little  Katy's)  and  drink  to 
the  health  and  happiness  of  the  lady  on 
my  right,  whose  presence  is  always  a  bene 
diction  and  whose  loyal  affection  is  one  of 
the  sweetest  treasures  of  my  life  !  " 

Everybody  except  the  dear  lady  stood 
up — even  little  Katy — and  Aunt  Nancy's 
health  was  drunk  amid  her  blushes,  she 
remarking  to  Mr.  Klutchem  that  George 
would  always  embarrass  her  with  these  too 
flattering  speeches  of  his,  which  was  lit 
erally  true,  this  being  the  fourth  time  I 
had  heard  similar  sentiments  expressed  in 
the  dear  lady's  honor. 

This  formal  toast  over,  the  Colonel's 
whole  manner  changed.  He  was  no  longer 
the  dignified  host  conducting  the  feast 
with  measured  grace.  With  a  spring  in  his 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

voice  and  a  certain  unrestrained  joyous- 
ness,  he  called  to  Chad  to  bring  him  a 
light  for  his  first  lamplighter.  Then,  with 
the  paper  wisp  balanced  in  his  hand,  he 
began  counting  the  several  candles,  peep 
ing  into  the  branches  with  the  manner  of 
a  boy. 

"  One — two — three — fo* — yes,  plenty 
of  them,  but  we  are  goin'  to  begin  with 
the  top  one.  This  is  yours,  Nancy — 
this  little  white  one  on  the  vehy  tip-top. 
Gentlemen,  this  top  candle  is  always  re 
served  for  Miss  Caarter,"  and  the  lighted 
taper  kindled  it  into  a  blaze.  "  Just  like 
yo'  eyes,  my  dear,  burnin'  steadily  and 
warmin'  everybody,"  and  he  tapped  her 
hand  caressingly  with  his  fingers.  "  And 
now,  where  is  that  darlin'  little  Katy's — 
she  must  have  a  white  one,  too — here  it 
is.  Oh,  what  a  brave  little  candle  !  Not 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

a  bit  of  sputterin*  or  smoke.  See,  dearie, 
what  a  beautiful  blaze  !  May  all  your  life 
be  as  bright  and  happy.  And  here  is  Mr. 
Klutchem's  right  alongside  of  Katy's — a 
fine  red  one.  There  he  goes,  steady  and 
clear  and  strong.  And  Fitz — dear  old 
Fitz.  Let's  see  what  kind  of  a  candle 
Fitz  should  have.  Do  you  know,  Fitz, 
if  I  had  my  way,  I'd  light  the  whole  tree 
for  you.  One  candle  is  absurd  for  Fitz  ! 
There,  Fitz,  it's  off — another  red  one !  All 
you  millionaires  must  have  red  candles ! 
And  the  Major  !  Ah,  the  Major  !  " — and 
he  held  out  his  hand  to  me — "  Let's  see — 
yaller?  No,  that  will  never  do  for  you, 
Major.  Pink?  That's  better.  There 
now,  see  how  fine  you  look  and  how 
evenly  you  burn — just  likeyo'  love,  my 
dear  boy,  that  never  fails  me." 

The  circle  of  the  table  was  now  com- 

[153] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

plete  ;  each  guest  had  a  candle  alight,  and 
each  owner  was  studying  the  several  wicks 
as  if  the  future  could  be  read  in  their 
blaze  :  Aunt  Nancy  with  a  certain  serious 
ness.  To  her  the  custom  was  not  new; 
the  memories  of  her  life  were  interwoven 
with  many  just  such  top  candles, — one  I 
knew  of  myself,  that  went  out  long,  long 
ago,  and  has  never  been  rekindled  since. 

The  Colonel  stopped,  and  for  a  moment 
we  thought  he  was  about  to  take  his  seat, 
although  some  wicks  were  still  unlighted 
— his  own  among  them. 

Instantly  a  chorus  of  voices  went  up : 
"  You  have  forgotten  your  own,  Colonel — 
let  me  light  this  one  for  you,"  etc.,  etc. 
Even  little  Katy  had  noticed  the  omission, 
and  was  pulling  at  my  sleeve  to  call  atten 
tion  to  the  fact :  the  Colonel's  candle  was 
the  only  one  she  really  cared  for. 

[154] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  One  minute — "  cried  the  Colonel. 
"Time  enough;  the  absent  ones  fust" — 
and  he  stooped  down  and  peered  among 
the  branches — "  yes, — that's  just  the  very 
one.  This  candle,  Mr.  Klutchem,  is  for 
our  old  Mammy  Henny,  who  is  at  Caar- 
ter  Hall,  carin'  for  my  property,  and  who 
must  be  pretty  lonely  to-day — ah,  there 
you  go,  Mammy  ! — blazin*  away  like  one 
o'  yo'  own  fires  !  " 

Three  candles  now  were  all  that  were 
left  unlighted ;  two  of  them  side  by  side 
on  the  same  branch,  a  brown  one  and  a 
white  one,  and  below  these  a  yellow  one 
standing  all  alone. 

The  Colonel  selected  a  fresh  taper, 
kindled  it  in  the  flame  of  Aunt  Nancy's 
top  candle,  and  turning  to  Chad,  who  was 
standing  behind  his  chair,  said : 

"  I'm  goin'  to  put  you,  Chad,  where  you 

[155] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

belong, — right  alongside  of  me.  Here, 
Katy  darlin',  take  this  taper  and  light  this 
white  candle  for  me,  and  I'll  light  the 
brown  one  for  Chad,"  and  he  picked  up 
another  taper,  lighted  it,  and  handed  it  to 
the  child. 

"  Now ! " 

As  the  two  candles  flashed  into  flame, 
the  Colonel  leaned  over,  and  holding  out 
his  hand  to  the  old  servant — boys  together, 
these  two,  said  in  a  voice  full  of  tender 
ness: 

"  Many  years  together,  Chad, — many 
years,  old  man." 

Chad's  face  broke  into  a  smile  as  he 
pressed  the  Colonel's  hand : 

"  Thank  ye,  marster,"  was  all  he  trusted 
himself  to  say — a  title  the  days  of  freedom 
had  never  robbed  him  of — and  then  he 
turned  his  head  to  hide  the  tears. 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

During  this  whole  scene  little  Jim  had 
stood  on  tip-toe,  his  eyes  growing  brighter 
and  brighter  as  each  candle  flashed  into  a 
blaze.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  lighting  of 
the  last  guest  candle  his  face  had  expressed 
nothing  but  increasing  delight.  When, 
however,  Mammy  Henny's  candle,  and 
then  Chad's  were  kindled,  I  saw  an  ex 
pression  of  wonderment  cross  his  features 
which  gradually  settled  into  one  of  pro 
found  disappointment. 

But  the  Colonel  had  not  yet  taken  his 
seat.  He  had  relighted  the  taper — this 
time  from  Mammy  Henny's  candle — and 
stood  with  it  in  his  hand,  peering  into  the 
branches  as  if  looking  for  something  he 
had  lost. 

cc  Ah,  here's  another.  I  wonder — who 
— this  —  little — yaller — candle — can — be 
— for,"  he  said  slowly,  looking  around  the 
[157] 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

room  and  accentuating  each  word.  cc  I 
reckon  they're  all  here — Let  me  see — 
Aunt  Nancy,  Mr.  Klutchem,  Katy,  Fitz, 
the  Major,  Mammy  Henny,  Chad,  and 
me— Yes  — all  here  — Oh!!"  and  he 
looked  at  the  boy  with  a  quizzical  smile 
on  his  face — "I  came  vehy  near  forgettin'. 
"This  little  yaller  candle  is  Jim's."  ..j 

When  it  was  all  over ;  and  Aunt  Nancy 
herself  had  tied  on  Katy's  hat  and  tucked 
the  tippet  into  her  neck,  and  buttoned  her 
coat  so  that  not  a  breath  of  cold  air  could 
get  inside ;  and  when  Jim  stood  holding 
Mr.  Klutchem's  hat  in  the  hall,  with  Chad 
but  a  few  feet  away;  and  when  Mr.  Klutch 
em  had  said  good-by  to  Aunt  Nancy,  and 
had  turned  to  take  the  extended  hand  of 
the  Colonel,  I  heard  the  banker  say,  in  a 
voice  as  if  a  tear  had  choked  it : 


COLONEL  CARTER'S  CHRISTMAS 

"  Carter,  you're  mighty  good  stuff  and 
I  like  you.  What  youVe  taught  me  to 
night  I'll  never  forget.  Katy  never  had 
a  mother,  and  I  know  now  she's  never 
had  a  home.  Good  night." 

"  Come,  Katy,  I  guess  I'll  carry  you, 
little  girl — "  and  he  picked  up  the  child, 
wound  her  reluctant  arms  about  his  neck, 
and  went  out  into  the  night. 


[1593 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
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WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


29»96584 


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N  1  4.  1977 

ffiXC*      JMi'20.7 

LD  21-100m-8,'34 

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